A Leeds man accused of killing a man from Windham made his first court appearance on Monday.
Joseph Chute, 30, has been charged with the murder of Alex Jackson, who has been missing since last May, according to police.
This has been the biggest development in the 10-month-old disappearance case.
Chute didn’t enter a plea during the hearing and many questions still remain about why the state now believes Jackson was killed.
Chute appeared remotely from the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn, only answering a few questions from the judge.
He was wearing an orange jail jumpsuit and showed no reaction as the charges against him were read.
“I have two matters here involving State of Maine v. Joseph Chute,” Judge Sarah Churchill said.
Chute is accused of intentionally or knowingly murdering Jackson on May 12, 2023. Jackson’s family have said that’s when he drove a truck with a flatbed trailer from Windham to Leeds to a friend’s house.
Calls to Jackson went unanswered at the time, which is one of the reasons why his family and girlfriend became so concerned.
“It’s not like him to go this long without his phone. His phone doesn’t go far from him. He’s normally calling me five, six times a day, sometimes more,” his girlfriend Meghan Bougie said.
His dog, Hazel, was found in North Yarmouth a few days after he vanished, which only added to the mystery.
Jackson’s sister and girlfriend were in court Monday but declined to comment.
Court paperwork that could have explained why and where an arrest was made on Friday in Leeds is temporarily being kept from public view.
Jackson’s body still hasn’t been recovered, according to the state police.
Chute is being held without bail pending another hearing.
In the meantime, he’s also facing two domestic violence-related charges, with a hearing scheduled for May.
He pleaded not guilty to those charges. It’s unclear if that’s tied to the Jackson case.
