PORTLAND, Maine — Fifty years after he was killed at his Portland office, Jon Pownall's family has returned to remember him.
Pownall, a renowned photographer and film director, was shot and killed on Aug. 31, 1973.
His daughter and granddaughter, along with friends, traveled up from New York and gathered for a vigil outside 465 Congress Street where the tragic event happened.
"He was the unit of our family that held us all together," Pownall's daughter Lynda Pownall said. "Our family was close because of my dad."
Lynda was a young teenager when her father died. She organized the event in an effort to heal and honor Pownall.
"My dad is special," she told NEWS CENTER Maine.
Before his passing, Pownall was preparing to film "The Salem Six" Lynda added. The film company he worked for took out a $400,000 dollar life insurance policy on him and he was killed 10 days later.
The story of Pownall’s death has captured the attention of Kylie Low. Low is the creator and host of the popular podcast Dark Downeast: Maine and New England True Crime. This fall, the podcast will have more on Pownall’s life and the circumstances surrounding his death.
"What stuck out to me about Jon's case is that the resolution didn't really feel like a conclusion," Low said. "It ended in an acquittal. It really interested me in how that affects a family member. We always think of a trial giving us closure and justice, but Lynda and her family did not get that."