BANGOR, Maine — The Maine Supreme Judicial Court will consider the appeals of three men convicted of murder this week.
Bruce Akers of Limington, Dustan Bentley of Old Orchard Beach, and F Daly of Bangor will seek an appeal on Thursday.
According to the Maine Attorney General's Office, since 2000, only two murder convictions out of at least 100 have been vacated.
Bruce Akers
Bruce Akers has been convicted of killing his neighbor with a machete. A jury found him guilty of murdering Douglas Flint, 55, in Limington in June 2016. The medical examiner found the cause of death to be blunt-force and sharp injuries from more than a dozen strikes to the neck and head, causing partial decapitation. According to defense attorney Rory McNamara, Akers is seeking a new trial.
Dustan Bentley
Dustan Bentley, has been convicted of killing his roommate, William Popplewell in 2019. Bentley was sentenced to 40 years in prison. He's asking to be resentenced.
F Daly
F Daly has been sentenced to 42-years in prison. He was found guilty of the 2018 murder of 51-year-old Israel Lewis, who was shot twice in his apartment on Second Street in Bangor. Daly is seeking a new trial.
Attorney McNamara represents both Daly and Akers. He says the men maintain their innocence.
“I know from experience, it can be difficult when you have a case sometimes that you know maybe doesn't have the legs to win, but neither of these cases are that," says McNamara. "These are pretty good appellate issues that we’re putting before the court. Ones that legitimately impacted the outcome of the trial and defendants substantial rights.”