Maine Man is Found Guilty of Murder for Killing a Windham Man in 2023

A jury has found a Leeds man guilty of murder for the shooting death of a Windham man, whose body was found in New Hampshire.

Maine Man Found Guilty of Murder for the Death of a Windham Man

Joseph Chute was in a Maine courtroom on Wednesday when the guilty verdict was handed down.

The victim, Alex Jackson, was reported missing by his family in May, 2023. Family members told authorities they were unable to contact him and all calls went to voicemail, which was unusual behavior for him.

Maine Man Was Missing for Nearly a Year Before his Body Was Found in New Hampshire

Almost a year later, in April 2024, police found Jackson's remains in a barrel near a family camp in Stark, New Hampshire.

An autopsy revealed that Jackson had been shot in the back of the head.

Chute was arrested in March, 2024, even before Jackson's body had been found.

Leeds, Maine Man was Arrested for Murder Before the Victim's Body was Found

The timing of the arrest was brought up several times before and during the trial, according to WGME-TV.

Prosecutors said Chute owed Jackson money for a construction loader, and allegedly told his girlfriend and a friend that he had killed the missing man.

His defense attorneys said, before Jackson's body was found, that the charges should be dismissed, since the lack of a body meant law enforcement couldn't prove Chute had killed him.

At the trial, the defense argued that the state still didn't have enough evidence to prove that their client was responsible for the death.

Joseph Chute will be sentenced at a later date.