The Anson man accused of a 2009 murder had little reaction to the death when police told him about it the day the man died, according to testimony Tuesday.

Robert Nelson, 41, was “kind of stone-faced” when told of Everett L. Cameron’s death in October 2009, according to Maine State Police Detective Mike Mitchell in Somerset County Superior Court.

Mitchell testified Tuesday that police threatened Nelson with drug and other tests while seeking a confession from him.

“I was looking for a confession and wanted him to be honest with me,” Mitchell said.

Defense attorney Philip Mohlar argued that he was confused as to why Mitchell was so convinced of Nelson’s guilt when a tape-recorded interview with Nelson the night of the shooting also revealed that police did not search his person for drugs or a firearm. The recording, which was played in court beginning Monday, also revealed that the police search of his home that night was brief.

Other witnesses Tuesday from the Maine state crime lab and the state police testified on the nature of Cameron’s death, reporting that he was shot at close range with a .30 caliber bullet in a manner that did not appear to have been a suicide.


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