AUBURN — A Lewiston man charged with murder in the death of his friend will continue to be held without bail after appearing in court briefly Tuesday morning.

Michael McNaughton, 23, was denied bail in Androscoggin County Superior Court on a murder charge in connection with the slaying of Romeo Parent, 20, of Lewiston.

Police said Parent was killed in Greene a week ago after an altercation; McNaughton believed Parent was a police informant.

A sworn affidavit that police wrote in supporting McNaughton’s arrest, which details elements of what police believe are clues to McNaughton’s guilt, was impounded for 30 days by a judge Tuesday.

The Maine Attorney General’s Office is expected to seek a murder indictment against McNaughton in early May when an Androscoggin County grand jury is expected to meet.

A Harnish bail hearing was set for May 9 at which prosecutors will argue why McNaughton should not be allowed bail pending trial.

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Police arrested McNaughton on Friday at the Lewiston Police Department and questioned him before booking him at the Androscoggin County Jail.

McNaughton has no criminal record.

Parent’s body was recovered Friday in Jug Stream in Monmouth, below the dam that separates Annabessacook and Cobbosseecontee lakes.

Parent’s body was taken to Augusta on Friday for a Saturday autopsy, police said.

A spokeswoman at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Tuesday that her office was not releasing any information about cause and manner of death.

Police said they believe Parent was killed near South Mountain Road in Greene late Tuesday and his body was dumped in the stream along Route 135 the next day. State police divers and dogs found the body at about 3:30 p.m. Friday.

The two men knew each other, according to police. Although they had been friends, McNaughton had come to believe that Parent had provided information to police about earlier criminal matters, police said.

Parent attended Lewiston High School, worked at an area Dunkin’ Donuts and had lived at 23 Howe St. in Lewiston.

cwilliams@sunjournal.com


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