Missing Maine man shot, placed in barrel and abandoned in sandbox, police say

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A Maine man whose body was found after a months-long search was killed, placed in a barrel and thrown into a sand pit, state authorities said.

The body of Alex Jackson, 34, of Windham, was found last month in the Stark, New Hampshire, area after a search that lasted nearly a year. Police arrested Joseph Chute of Leeds and charged him with murder stemming from Jackson's death.

Chute appeared in court Wednesday and pleaded not guilty. During the same appearance, police provided new details about Jackson's death and disappearance.

A detective took the stand to recount Chute's ex-girlfriend's description of helping dispose of Jackson's body. She described driving to various locations in Maine to try to get rid of the barrel, and she said they were afraid to leave one location because of the presence of people in the area, the detective said.

Witnesses told police that Chute confessed to shooting Jackson in the head on his farm before putting Jackson's body in the barrel, Danna Hayes, special assistant to the Maine attorney general, said Thursday.

“At the hearing it was said that he put Alex's body on a compost pile and then put it in the barrel,” Hayes said.

There is an affidavit stemming from the case, but it remained seized Thursday, Hayes said.

Chute's defense attorney, Verne Paradie, said there are many important witnesses and pieces of evidence that have not yet come to light in this case. He previously asked that the charges against Chute be dismissed.

“There is still a lot of evidence to review. There was a complete absence of physical evidence in his home, his farm, in the area where witnesses claim he spoke about the shooting of Mr. Jackson,” Paradie said. “There are a lot of unanswered questions.”

Chute has not yet had a new court date as of Thursday and is being held in the Androscoggin County Jail without bond.

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