PORTLAND (AP) – A 25-year-old man charged with killing his mother and leaving her body in the bathtub of their Somerset County home refused to take his medication after being released from the state psychiatric hospital, according to a police affidavit released Thursday.

William Bruce is charged with murder in the death of Amy Bruce, 47. Bruce was arrested at his grandfather’s home in South Portland after his mother’s body was found in their home in Caratunk on Tuesday.

Bruce made his initial court appearance Thursday in Cumberland County Superior Court. He did not enter a plea.

Amy Bruce’s body was found by her husband, Robert Bruce, when he returned from work to their white farmhouse on U.S. Route 201 on Tuesday afternoon, according to an affidavit written by Maine State Police Detective Jeffrey Love.

When Robert Bruce walked into the home, he saw some blood drops and initially feared that his son had committed suicide, the affidavit says. But when he followed the drops into the bathroom, he found his wife dead in the bathtub.

The medical examiner’s office said Amy Bruce died from blunt force trauma to the head and had sustained open gashes with a “heavy cutting instrument,” the affidavit says.

After discovering his wife’s body, Bruce went to an outbuilding where he kept some weapons. He armed himself with a shotgun and went back in the house to look for his son, but could not find him.

When Robert Bruce was later interviewed by police, he told them his son suffered from mental illness and had spent three months at Riverview Psychiatric Center in Augusta.

“Since being home from Riverview, William refused to take his medication and his behavior was out of control,” the affidavit reads.

Another court hearing is scheduled for next Thursday to determine if bail will be set. The state has requested that Bruce undergo a mental examination.

The murder has shocked the small town of Caratunk, leaving friends and neighbors in the town of 100 struggling to come to grips with the tragedy.

Neighbors told the Morning Sentinel that the Bruce family’s struggle with their son’s mental condition was well-known and had taken a turn for the worse.

Jon Sherlock described Bruce as a handsome, charming man but also troubled.

He said Bruce joined the armed forces at one point but had returned home after being discharged and told neighbors he tried to re-enlist but was not accepted.

“This is the biggest shock this town will ever see. It could be anybody but the fact that it was her is just devastating,” Sherlock said.

Residents remembered Bruce as a woman who looked after the elderly, brought baked goods and vegetables to her neighbors and cared for the garden in the center of town.

Carol Thornton, who had baby sat for the family’s three sons, called her a wonderful person, the kind a person might meet only once in a lifetime.

William Bruce’s attorney, Clifford Strike, said his client was calm, alert and aware of the charge.

“He’s upset at his mom’s passing,” Strike said Thursday after the court hearing.

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Information from: Morning Sentinel, http://www.onlinesentinel.com/

AP-ES-06-22-06 1310EDT