HOULTON, Maine — Jury selection started Thursday is expected to continue Friday in the case against a Houlton man charged with murder in the brutal slaying of 61-year-old Keith Suitter two years ago.
Reginald Dobbins, who was 18 at the time, is accused of stabbing and beating Suitter to death with a hammer in the man’s mobile home on March 1, 2015.
Samuel Geary, 17, of Houlton, who also was charged with the murder, pleaded guilty in Washington County Superior Court in Machias on May 25. A sentencing date for Geary has yet to be set and it is unclear whether he will testify in the case against Dobbins.
Dobbins has been held without bail at the Aroostook County Jail in Houlton since entering a not guilty plea in June, 2015. The trial could last a week or more, according to Superior Court Justice Harold Stewart II.
Potential jurors from throughout Aroostook County watched a video and filled out paperwork during Thursday’s morning session. They were interviewed by the judge about their answers to a questionnaire in the afternoon, with approximately 80 having been interviewed by the end of the day.
Dressed in a blue suit and with his hair neatly trimmed, Dobbins listened attentively as his attorney, Hunter Tzovarras, questioned prospective jurors about any connections that existed between them and a list of witnesses such as police, a medical examiner and crime scene analysts who are expected to testify during the trial.
The judge also asked potential jurors if they or a close family member or friend had been the victim of violence, and if they had heard about the case in the news.
Some potential jurors were confused about questions surrounding reasonable doubt on the questionnaire, but after further explanation from the judge, said that they would vote to acquit someone if they believed the evidence showed that the person was not guilty of a crime.
Others told Stewart that it would be a hardship to serve due to work obligations or health reasons, and one woman said she would likely not be able to follow the instructions to avoid media coverage of the trial if she were a juror. Several were excused for such reasons Thursday afternoon.
Reginald Dobbins (Contributed)
Last year, the trial for Houlton resident Matthew Davis, who was convicted of the 2013 murders of Heidi Suitter and Michael Kitchen, was moved to Washington County Superior Court in Machias after a judge was unable to seat a jury in Aroostook County.
According to a report filed with the court by the medical examiner who performed the autopsy, Suitter suffered 21 blunt-force trauma blows, mostly to the head, which appeared to have been inflicted by a hammer, and 10 stab wounds from a knife to the head and back.
In a bind over hearing last year, Geary took the stand and blamed much of what happened at the murder scene on Dobbins. He said he was pressured to take part in the crime after a day of drinking and using drugs. According to Geary, he and Dobbins went to Suitter’s home to buy drugs. After Dobbins had gotten into the home using the ruse that his vehicle had broken down, Geary alleged, Dobbins pulled a hammer out of his jacket and began striking him.
Geary also said that he “tried to stab” Suitter but the folding knife didn’t open all the way, and he instead cut himself, which angered Dobbins. Dobbins then took the knife and stabbed the victim, according to Geary.
