Williams Pleads Not Guilty In Cpl. Eugene Cole's Killing

Maine Public | By Associated Press

Published June 12, 2018 at 4:04 PM EDT

PORTLAND, Maine - A Maine man has pleaded not guilty to murder in the slaying of a Maine sheriff's deputy.

John Williams is charged with killing 61-year-old Somerset County Cpl. Eugene Cole on April 25 in Norridgewock. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday afternoon in a Portland courtroom.

Prosecutors are seeking a life prison sentence.

An affidavit says after killing Cole, Williams stole the deputy's pickup and robbed a convenience store before abandoning the truck.

Williams then fled into the woods and sparked a four-day manhunt.

No motive has been released for Cole's killing. It's unclear how Williams and Cole came into contact.

Cole was scheduled to appear in Massachusetts on gun charges on April 25.

His trial was tentatively scheduled for May 2019. Williams is undergoing mental and behavioral health evaluations.