Comment on State’s top court rejects appeal of man who killed couple, set fire to home

PORTLAND, Maine — Maine’s supreme court has upheld the convictions of a man who killed a couple and set fire to their home during a crime spree in 2013 in northern Maine. Matthew Davis contended the judge shouldn’t have allowed testimony from a neighbor who saw him crash through a garage door in a stolen truck as he fled in Oakfield. [Convicted murderer seeking new trial in Aroostook case] The neighbor recognized Davis from a mugshot published in the news media, circumventing the normal police process of choosing from an array of photos. The judge ruled that the neighbor’s identification was nonetheless reliable, and the supreme court ruled Tuesday that the testimony was permissible. Davis, from Houlton, is serving a life prison sentence for the killings of Michael Kitchen and Heidi Pratt.