HOULTON, Maine — The first day of jury selection began Monday in the case against a St. Francis man charged with murder in the death of his former girlfriend.
Jesse Marquis is accused of killing Amy Theriault, a 31-year-old mother of two, at her home in St. Francis on May 31, 2014. The state medical examiner said Theriault died of a gunshot wound to the chest and multiple stab wounds to the chest and neck.
Potential jurors in the jury pool spent several hours Monday in Aroostook County Superior Court in Houlton, watching a film on the process of jury duty and filling out questionnaires. The defense attorneys and prosecutor will go over the responses and question potential jurors as the selection process continues into Tuesday. The court has set aside two days to select 12 jurors and two alternates for the trial, which is scheduled to begin Wednesday in Superior Court in Caribou.
Marquis, 40, was at the courthouse Monday. He has been held at the county jail since the slaying.
On the morning of Theriault’s death, the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at 5:45 a.m. about a domestic violence incident at 754 Main St., according to Maine State Police. Witnesses in the home reportedly said they saw Marquis leave the residence and enter the woods behind the house with a rifle.
Marquis was the subject of one of the largest manhunts in northern Maine history and remained on the run for six days before he was captured about a mile from the crime scene.
He was found sitting next to a tree near the St. Francis town dump and surrendered without incident. Police also seized a hunting rifle from Marquis, which was near him at the time of his capture.
A grand jury indicted Marquis on the murder charge July 11, 2014, and he pleaded not guilty the next month.
Marquis faces a penalty of 25 years to life in prison. Maine does not have the death penalty.
In April 2015, Barbara Theriault, Amy Theriault’s mother, began a petition drive to collect enough signatures she hoped would convince a judge to hand down a life sentence to Marquis should he be found guilty of murdering her daughter.
Assistant Attorney General John Alsop will argue the case on behalf of the state. Attorneys Stephen Smith and Dan Umphrey are representing Marquis.
Judge E. Allen Hunter is presiding over the case.