AUBURN – A Litchfield man accused of kidnapping and murdering his girlfriend when she tried to end an affair with him is scheduled to go to trial Monday.
Roger Keene, 41, faces charges of manslaughter, attempted murder and kidnapping in connection with the September 2003 death of Leslie Stasulis.
His trial, which will begin this morning with jury selection, is expected to last about a week and a half.
A mother of five and the owner of a downtown bar, Stasulis was found Sept. 12, 2003, battered and unconscious on the side of Route 126 in Sabattus.
She died nine days later at Central Maine Medical Center. She was 42.
Police identified Keene as a suspect after interviewing people who were hanging out with him and Stasulis on Sept. 11 at Stasulis’ bar, Leslie’s Place, at 339 Lisbon St.
Witnesses reported seeing the couple fighting outside the bar, shortly before they both disappeared.
Upset by Stasulis’ decision to stop seeing him, police say, Keene kidnapped her, beat her, then threw her from his truck.
Stasulis was bleeding from a 4-inch gash on her head when paramedics found her. Her eye was swollen, her legs covered with cuts. She couldn’t move. She could hardly speak.
One of the paramedics knelt beside her and asked what had happened. Stasulis mumbled that she had been beaten and thrown from a car. The paramedic asked who did it, but she didn’t answer, police said.
Detectives learned during their investigation that Keene and Stasulis were having an affair, and Stasulis, who is married to another man, had told friends that she wanted to end the relationship.
A former mechanic at Discount Tire in Brunswick, Keene has admitted to police that he was with Stasulis that night. But, according to police, he has told three different stories about what happened.
If convicted of the charges facing him, Keene could spend the rest of his life in prison.
His trial was initially scheduled for January, but it was postponed at the last minute when he requested a new attorney. He is now represented by Lewiston defense lawyer George Hess. Assistant Attorney General Lisa Marchese is prosecuting the case for the state.
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