WEST PARIS – Kevin and James Behan each died of a single stab wound to the chest after an argument in their rural western Maine home late Sunday, according to Maine State Police.
Police spokesman Steve McCausland said an initial autopsy report filed by the Maine Medical Examiner’s Office on Tuesday confirmed the causes of the deaths.
The report determined “that the manner of death for the father is a homicide,” McCausland said, corroborating statements made by state police Lt. Brian McDonough about Kevin Behan, 56.
Whether the Sunday night incident was a murder-suicide, as some media reports have stated, remains to be seen. The medical examiner’s office has not determined that 29-year-old son James Behan’s death was a suicide, McCausland said.
“We do not know that it isn’t, either,” he added.
McDonough said it is too soon to comment on the possibility of James Behan’s having committed suicide.
“I don’t think the evidence is conclusive enough yet,” he said when reached before the release of the autopsy report Tuesday.
McDonough and McCausland each said an in-depth interview with Margaret Behan, Kevin Behan’s wife and James Behan’s mother, will be an important factor in determining what happened Sunday at the home at 35 Sumner Road.
Police have said that Margaret Behan, 52, called 911 to report the stabbings shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday. They said Kevin Behan was dead when they arrived at the scene. James Behan was alive but he had suffered from a mortal wound and could not be saved by rescue workers.
McCausland said a knife that may have been used in the stabbings was recovered from the Behan residence. “The knife involved, we believe, was a Buck knife with an 8-inch blade.”
Both McCausland and McDonough said it was clear an argument had taken place between Kevin and James Behan on Sunday.
“A point of conflict in the home was the son’s living arrangements,” McCausland said.
He said Behan had been living with his parents since April.
He moved there from a residence in Denmark after he was shot in the arm and abdomen during an incident in Center Conway, N.H.
McCausland said he knew “that the son had been out drinking with a friend” Sunday night, but police are waiting to speak with Margaret Behan before determining whether alcohol was involved in the stabbing.
Kevin Behan was born in Quincy, Mass., and was a Vietnam War veteran. He had worked as a machinist before becoming disabled.
James “Jimi” Behan was born in Brockton, Mass. He attended Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School after moving to Maine. He had worked as a carpenter.
Both men enjoyed playing the guitar and outdoor activities, such as dirt biking, in James’ case, and camping and canoeing in Kevin’s.
The men are survived by Kevin and Margaret Behan’s other son, Keith Behan of Madison, N.H., and by James Behan’s son, Brandon Behan.
A memorial service for the two men will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at Andrews Funeral Home in South Woodstock.
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