PORTLAND, Maine — The 62-year-old man charged with beating his neighbor to death in a downtown Portland apartment building pleaded not guilty on Monday, October 28.
Everett Meserve was charged with savagely beating Rodney Cleveland on August 3 at the 81 Danforth Street apartment building in Portland.
Cleveland died on September 15 at Maine Medical Center more than a month after he was first admitted. The same day Meserve was charged with his murder.
According to the affidavit, police were able to place Meserve at the scene of the crime through surveillance video at the apartment building. Meserve was seen walking in and out of Cleveland's apartment with only pants on and no shirt. He lived two doors down and across the hall from his neighbor Cleveland.
Meserve told police that he was "blackout drunk" earlier on August 3 and that he could have fought with Cleveland but he did not remember but said "we probably did," according to court documents.
Police found blood spatter and possible human hair on a frying pan on a coffee table in Cleveland's living room.
An autopsy was performed on September 16 at the Maine Examiners Office in Augusta and concluded that Cleveland died of blunt force trauma to his head.
Meserve pleaded not guilty to the murder charge on Monday in Cumberland County Superior Court in Portland.
