WILTON – Police set up a roadblock in front of the Main Street home of Raymond E. “Butch” Weed on Monday night, hoping to collect clues into the 40-year-old contractor’s death.

The investigation has been under way for six days. Weed’s body was found in his entryway by friends dropping off Christmas presents about 7 p.m. Dec. 23. Police have not said how he was killed.

He was last seen about 5 p.m. that day having coffee at Mario’s in downtown Wilton.

Motorists passing by between 4 and 7 p.m. Monday were stopped briefly by state troopers and Wilton police and asked whether they had passed through the area on the evening Weed was killed, said Steven McCausland, spokesman for Maine Department of Public Safety.

People have habits, McCausland explained, and may go past the home every night on their way home from work without even realizing it.

Still trying to retrace Weed’s steps on his final day, and especially his final hours, police are hoping that passing motorists may provide insight for the case, which has stunned the community that revered Weed since he moved here 15 years ago.

A team of State Police detectives worked over the weekend, using the Wilton police headquarters as a base. They were back early Monday morning to compare notes.

So far, dozens of people have been interviewed, but McCausland said there are no new developments.

New Year’s Eve funeral

Weed’s body has been released from the state’s Medical Examiner’s office, which conducted an autopsy Wednesday.

A New Year’s Eve funeral has been scheduled at 5 p.m. at the Wiles Funeral Home, 136 High St. Relatives and friends are invited to call from 3 p.m. until the time of services.

Kent Wiles, funeral director, said the family requested to have the funeral on Wednesday and in Wilton, instead of the Farmington Baptist Church where Weed was a member and taught Sunday school. A pastor from that church, Earl Edgerly, will conduct the service.

The family suggested that memorial contributions in Weed’s name be made to the Wilton Lions Club. Weed was a member of the club.

Club treasurer Bernal Allen said it’s what Weed would have wanted.

The two men worked together the past four years putting on a pancake breakfast at the Wilton Blueberry Festival.

“He’s there when you need him,” Allen said about Weed. “He’s got a hell of a good personality. He gets things done.”

The two also worked together on the Planning Board when Weed first came on in 1997.

Weed, Allen remembered, would always do a lot of extra research on rules and regulations surrounding Planning Board agenda items before the meeting. “He was so dedicated to everything he did,” Allen said.

Despite his serious side, Weed also knew how to have fun, playing the “tail-twister” in the Lions. He would assess and collect 25-cent fines if club members didn’t address each other properly, or wore the wrong color tie, Allen said. It was just for fun, he explained, a way to stir things up at meetings and raise money.

“Somebody played a joke and he wouldn’t get mad, he’d try to one-up them,” Allen explained.

“Most of ’em are pretty upset about it and how needless it was,” Allen said of members’ reactions to the murder. “We all hope they find out who did it. We’ve all heard lots of rumors, but nothing concrete. We sure are going to miss him. It’s a very sad thing.”

sdepoy@sunjournal.com

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