A Lewiston woman pleaded not guilty Monday to a charge of intentional or knowing murder in the shooting death of Maliyah Powell, 22, of Lewiston on March 20.

Elise Bergeron, 27, also entered a plea of not guilty to a charge of being in possession of a Glock 43 semiautomatic pistol. She entered the pleas via Zoom from the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn.

The gun possession charge is a violation of her federal probation for making a false statement to investigators in a gun-running case from Lewiston to California in December 2022.

Judge Tammy Ham-Thompson continued no bail for Bergeron pending a bail hearing on Sept. 3. Bergeron has been held without bail since her arrest.

A conviction on the murder charge carries a minimum penalty of 25 years to life. The gun charge carries a maximum 10 years in prison and up to a $20,000 fine.

Powell suffered a gunshot wound to the chest in the early morning hours of March 20 and was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. She was later remembered by friends as a beautiful person and a free spirit who was good with children and respectful to others.

According to a report filed by Detective Jake Mowry of the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit South, Bergeron had been out with siblings the evening of March 19 into the early morning on March 20. The family went to Fast Breaks Restaurant on Lisbon Street and left when a fight broke out.

They then went to Little Joe’s Bar and Grill on Sabattus Street in Lewiston until closing. Mowry said Bergeron and the others in the group had been drinking alcohol at both places. The report has the majority of the names redacted.

After leaving the Sabattus Street bar, they drove to the 7-Eleven convenience store on Main Street for juice and then drove to the vicinity of 37 Union St., where an argument among people led to a fight in the street and Powell being shot, according to Mowry’s report filed with the court.

According to Mowry, Bergeron told police she was kicked and punched by another person. She said she heard a “pop” during the altercation and she was somehow holding a gun. She said she “didn’t mean” to shoot the gun and Powell. She said she called 911 while others put pressure on Powell’s wound to try to stop the bleeding.

Following an investigation Bergeron was arrested on a murder charge.

According to records, Bergeron was sentenced to two years of federal probation on Jan. 7, 2025, for making false statements to a federal law enforcement officer in a gun-running ring from Maine to California in December 2022.

She pleaded guilty to the charge in 2024 in a plea agreement that included dismissal of four other federal charges.