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Suspect watched as man and woman burned to death in locked truck, affidavit says

The man who police say murdered two people by setting a box truck on fire in late March watched from afar as the couple burned to death, according to court documents.

BANGOR (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- The man who police say murdered two people by setting a box truck on fire in late March watched from afar as the couple burned to death, according to court documents.

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The affidavit says Michael Bridges and Desiree York were still alive when John De St. Croix set the truck on fire behind a furniture store in the Penobscot Plaza. The suspect was quoted as saying to police that he "heard banging coming from the inside of the truck and also a female screaming."

According to witnesses, De St. Croix and the couple had been drinking together down by the river under the Penobscot Bridge. One witness told police he heard De St. Croix say he was going to "kill Michael" for threatening to hit York.

Surveillance footage from a nearby business shows a man identified as De St. Croix carrying two bags as he walks away from the burning truck. Police say De St. Croix placed them on the ground and turned around to watch the fire blaze for a couple minutes before leaving the scene.

RELATED STORY: Bangor man charged with murder of couple found dead in burned-out truck

When De St. Croix was brought in for questioning, police say he confessed to setting the fire near the truck using cardboard, polystyrene and other items he found to feed the fire.

The court documents say the suspect told police he was angry with Bridges earlier in the day, and when De St. Croix found him passed out in the back of the box truck later that night, he closed the door and started the fire. Police quoted him as saying he didn't believe York was also in the back of the truck.

De St. Croix pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one count of arson.

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