The Bridgton man accused of shooting and killing his former brother-in-law outside the man’s Sebago home Saturday was ordered held without bail Monday at his initial court appearance on a charge of murder.
David Pinkham, 67, said nothing during his brief appearance before Justice Lance Walker at the Cumberland County Courthouse in Portland. Dressed in a yellow jail uniform, he stood beside his attorney, Andrew Wright, with his hands cuffed in front of him.
Read the affidavit in the killing of Charlie Cross
Pinkham is accused of killing 66-year-old Charlie Cross outside Cross’ home at 331 Hancock Pond Road in Sebago around noon Saturday. Pinkham drove off and was taken into custody shortly afterward when Bridgton police stopped his vehicle, according to Maine State Police.
A police affidavit filed at the court Monday offered no obvious motive for the shooting, detailing only that Pinkham and Cross had had a conversation at Cross’s home moments before Pinkham allegedly fired his gun at Cross.
Cross had been married to Pinkham’s sister for more than 20 years before they divorced about two decades ago. Pinkham remained friends with Cross after the divorce, according to the affidavit.
Pinkham was not required to enter a plea at the hearing because prosecutors have yet to present the case against him to a grand jury.
Cross’ longtime girlfriend, Paula Simonds, 59, was home with Cross on Saturday when Pinkham pulled in the driveway in his purple Plymouth Neon. The couple were in the living room with their 7-year-old grandson. She saw Pinkham’s car outside and told Cross that Pinkham had arrived, state police Detective John Kyle wrote in the affidavit.
Simonds told police that Cross let Pinkham into the house and the two men chatted in the kitchen for a while about cars and apartments before Cross followed Pinkham out to the driveway to say goodbye.
“After approximately five minutes, Pinkham left and Cross followed as he always does with their guests to walk them outside. She said shortly thereafter, she heard a noise that sounded like ‘pop-pop.’ She looked out the window and saw Cross laying in the snowbank,” Kyle wrote.
Pinkham drove off, and Simonds called 911 to report what happened. Police in Bridgton pulled over Pinkham’s car about 10 minutes later and saw he had a .38-caliber Special revolver in plain view on the front passenger seat, the affidavit says.
Police arrested Pinkham and tried to interview him, but he refused to answer any questions, Kyle wrote.
Police also interviewed Pinkham’s neighbor, Dylan Desousa, in the apartment building where they lived at 116 South High St. in Bridgton. Desousa told police that Pinkham had recently showed him a revolver and told him he had purchased it about a week and a half ago from a gun shop in Naples, the affidavit says.
“Desousa also indicated that Pinkham felt people were out to get him and that he carried the gun everywhere he went,” Kyle said.
Authorities have yet to identify any motive for the shooting.
“The investigation is still ongoing,” Assistant Attorney General John Alsop said after Monday’s court hearing. He declined to comment further.
About 30 people, including members of both men’s families, attended the court hearing. They left afterward without speaking to the media.
Murder in Maine is punishable by 25 years to life in prison.
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