Comment on Maine courts are rescheduling 6 murder trials that were set for April and May

Click here for the latest coronavirus news, which the BDN has made free for the public. You can support this mission by purchasing a digital subscription. The Maine court system on Monday postponed all but emergency matters through the month of May, meaning six murder trials in addition to other jury trials and grand jury sessions will have to be rescheduled. The court system’s move on Monday extends a March 17 order delaying nearly all civil and criminal matters that was set to expire at the end of the day on May 1. [Our COVID-19 tracker contains the most recent information on Maine cases by county] Jury trials and grand jury sessions will not be held in April and May. The deadline for dealing with traffic tickets was extended to May 29. The six murder trials scheduled for April and May that will be moved include two involving homicides in 2017, the longest pending murder cases in the state, according to the Maine Attorney General’s office. The jury trial of Carine Reeves, 39, of New York City was set to begin May 18 at the Penobscot Judicial Center in Bangor for the shooting death of Sally Shaw, 55, of New Gloucester.