Maine State Police

Murder Suspect Robert Burton was in court for an arraignment Monday morning.

The man who was the subject of the longest active manhunt in state history pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of murder and felony possession of a firearm. Police started looking for the 37-year-old after his ex-girlfriend's body was found in her Parkman home in June. Just a week earlier, Stephanie Ginn Gebo had broken up with Burton.

Maine State Police, sheriff's deputies, local police, game wardens, and others joined forces to try and find Burton as he stayed hidden in the woods around the Parkman/Guilford area. His family made a public plea that he turn himself in and told police that he'd grown up in the area and knew the woods very, very well. Over the course of the manhunt, Burton was only spotted a couple of times, including being caught on a surveillance camera. Police say he was breaking into people's camps for shelter and supplies.

The region was on high alert during the busy summer months, with residents being warned to lock the doors to their cars and homes, even when they were inside. Huge signs were posted for visitors, and police checkpoints had officers handing out fliers in hopes of finding Burton. The manhunt ended in August when he walked into the Piscataquis County Sheriff's building and turned himself in, saying that he was afraid of getting shot.

Burton has a long history with police including kidnapping and assaulting another ex-girlfriend's mother. Police claim he broke into Ginn Gebo's through a window and confronted her while her children slept upstairs.

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