BELFAST — A 16-year-old charged with murdering his father in Troy did not enter a plea Friday during his first court appearance.
Colby Hodgdon was brought into Waldo County District Court in shackles, which the judge immediately ordered removed. He looked straight ahead during the proceedings, answering “yes” to a question about whether he wanted the charge, knowing and intentional murder, to be read, and acknowledging that he understood his legal rights.
Hodgdon, with short-cropped hair, handcuffed and wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt, red T-shirt, jeans and gray Nike sneakers, was led past a small group of photographers and TV news crews by Waldo County jail guards into the back entrance of the courthouse shortly after 1 p.m. He swore at photographers as he walked past them.
Steven Hodgdon, 49, was found dead of a stab wound to the chest on March 7.
No details about the killing were made available during the brief hearing, and court documents in the case have been sealed pending a competence evaluation, on the order of Judge Patricia Worth.
The judge told a woman seated in the gallery, whom she identified as Hodgdon’s mother and called Ms. Roy, that she would be responsible for filing paperwork to establish her son’s eligibility for a court-appointed attorney. The woman could not be reached for comment at the courthouse.
There was no obvious eye contact between Roy and Hodgdon, who did not appear to attempt to communicate with his mother.
Speaking outside the courtroom, defense attorney John Martin confirmed that Colby Hodgdon was Steven Hodgdon’s son.
“That’s what all records indicate,” Martin said.
Worth asked defense attorneys Martin and Aaron Fethke to represent Hodgdon. Both have juvenile case experience.
Steven Hodgdon was found dead at 188 Rutland Road in Troy when Waldo County sheriff’s deputies were called to the home in the early hours of March 7. At the time, police said the elder Hodgdon lived in the house with his teenage son, who was staying with relatives.
The state medical examiner’s office concluded that Hodgdon died from a stab wound to the chest, according to police.
Maine State Police arrested Colby Hodgdon in Lewiston on Wednesday and charged him with murder after a nearly month-long investigation during which investigators conducted numerous interviews and reviewed evidence from the state police crime lab, police said.
The Waldo County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Steven Hodgdon was charged in March 2014 with an attack on a family member, but details were not available Friday.
“It was a family argument that escalated,” said Lt. Jason Trundy of the Waldo County Sheriff’s Department.
Hodgdon will remain in detention until a review of his status is requested by the defense or a juvenile community corrections officer, a condition agreed to by both defense attorneys and Assistant Attorney General Leanne Zainea.
In court, Fethke told Worth that the defense will file a motion within the next week for Hodgdon to undergo a competence evaluation to determine if he can stand trial.
In an order signed immediately following Friday’s hearing, Worth granted a motion to impound the case until the competence evaluation is completed.
Outside the courtroom, Martin said that he and Fethke only had a short time to review the case and meet with their client.
The team has “a lot to look at and review,” Martin said.
Zainea said she would not answer questions about the case.
A dispositional hearing for Hodgdon has been scheduled for May 1, and the parties have 90 days to file motions in the case.
Peter McGuire — 861-9239
pmcguire@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @PeteL_McGuire
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