Danielle Waugh

READ: Court Documents Reveal New Details About Maine Deputy's Killing

What to Know

  • John Williams, 29, is accused of killing Cpl. Eugene Cole April 25 in Norridgewock, Maine.
  • Cole was gunned down before Williams allegedly stole his marked cruiser and robbed a Cumberland Farms store and fled on foot.
  • After a 4-day manhunt, Williams was arrested at a camp located off of Route 139 in Norridgewock. The motive for the killing remains unclear.

Court documents are revealing new details about the brutal murder of a sheriff's deputy in Maine last week.

John Williams, 29, of Madison, captured alive over the weekend, was ordered held without bail at his initial court appearance on Monday.

Williams was arrested Saturday following a massive manhunt after he allegedly shot and killed Somerset County Deputy Cpl. Eugene Cole on April 25 in Norridgewock. Investigators have said Cole was shot and killed sometime between 1 and 2 a.m. on Route 2. But little else about the killing has been revealed.

Court documents released following Monday's hearing show the last time someone heard from Cole was around 1 a.m., when he was talking with another deputy on his cell phone. The call was "abruptly ended and appeared to have lost service or connection," according to an affidavit.

The documents also show that Williams made a call to a friend around 1:15 a.m. Wednesday saying that he had shot a deputy in the head. Williams reportedly said that Cole "snuck up on him, or that he snuck up on Cole - he couldn't remember." Williams then asked the friend to meet him on Martin Stream Road in Norridgewock.

After killing Cole, police have said that Williams stole the deputy's marked Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck and then robbed a Cumberland Farms convenience store before ditching the vehicle on Martin Stream Road.

After picking Williams up, his friend told police Williams "immediately took out his crack pipe and began smoking drugs." The friend said he gave Williams his cell phone and told him to get out of the car. He said he then drove away, encountered a Fairfield police officer, and told him what had happened.

Cole's body was discovered around 7:30 a.m. with a gunshot wound to the head behind a home on Mercer Road in Norridgewock, according to court paperwork. The medical examiner determined that Cole died from a gunshot wound that perforated his spinal cord.

Another friend of Williams reportedly told police that on the night of the murder, Williams had several bags with him and a bulletproof vest. She described Williams as being "tweaked."

The motive for the killing remains unclear.

Williams was ultimately discovered in a camp off of Route 139 in Norridgewock during the manhunt's fourth day, and offered "limited resistance" during his arrest, which was made using Cole's handcuffs, according to state and county authorities.

Williams did not enter a plea Monday. He was quiet as he answered the judge's questions, with his attorney by his side.

Friends and family of Cole packed the courtroom on Monday. One Somerset County employee who attended the court appearance to support the Cole family said just the sight of Williams made her very angry.

Cole's family declined to speak on camera.

Williams will be held without bail pending a probable cause hearing and a forensic mental health evaluation. The judge also ordered a change of venue for the case, so all future hearings will be held in Cumberland County.

Contact Us