ELLSWORTH (AP) – A retired mathematics professor who was found dead in her Mount Desert Island home in January was beaten to death with a ceramic gargoyle after a dispute over money, according to court documents.

Details about the slaying of Jacqueline Evans, 83, at her home in Southwest Harbor surfaced Tuesday with the release of a police affidavit in Hancock County Superior Court.

A 37-year-old caretaker, Michelle Mills of Southwest Harbor, pleaded not guilty Friday to a charge of murdering Evans and was being held without bail pending a hearing. Mills was arrested June 8, a day after the Hancock County grand jury handed up a secret indictment against her.

Evans, who lived alone, was found unconscious with severe head trauma on Jan. 20 and died two days later in a Bangor hospital.

On Jan. 11, according to the affidavit, Evans and Mills had a heated phone argument in which Mills claimed that Evans owed her money. Evans had hired Mills to care for a sick friend, Dari Burke, and had paid Mills $11,000 to work from Thanksgiving through the end of the year, investigators said.

After the phone conversation, Evans no longer wanted to deal with Mills, the document said, and Burke fired her the same day.

Police were called to Evans’ home after being contacted by a friend who became concerned when the woman failed to answer the door.

Broken ceramic feet matching those on a gargoyle statue in Evans’ kitchen were found at the scene by detectives, investigators said. A photograph at the woman’s home showed that she had two gargoyle statues, but detectives found only one.

While pieces of the second statue were left at the scene, the statue – and presumptive weapon – was found by detectives a few days later at a local landscaping business.

Police seeking forensic evidence obtained search warrants, seized several items from Mills’ apartment and swabbed a vehicle she had been driving. One swab was tested and determined to match the victim’s DNA, according to the affidavit.

Although Mills was under suspicion early in the investigation, Assistant Attorney General Andrew Benson said there was no rush to charge her with murder.

“Ultimately, we’re not looking for an indictment, we’re looking to get a conviction,” Benson said. “More information has come out since the search warrants allowing us to fill in additional gaps.”

Evans, who held a doctorate from Harvard and wrote a book about mathematics in 1970, was a professor in Massachusetts who lived in Southwest Harbor for 30 years.

Copy the Story Link