Maine's attorney general on Thursday charged a Utah prison parolee with kidnapping and murder in connection with the death of a 21-year-old central Maine college woman.
Edward Hackett faces one count of intentional or knowing murder and a second charge of kidnapping.
The body of Dawn Rossignol was found on Sept. 17 near a creek about a mile from the Colby College campus in Waterville where she was a senior and an honors student. Rossignol's family had reported her missing the day before, because she failed to keep a doctor's appointment in her hometown of Medway.
Maine State Police, who investigated the case, say they believe Rossignol was abducted outside of her dorm. But neither the police nor the Attorney General's Office have said how the woman died. Charges filed in Waterville District Court do not contain that information.
An arraignment for Hackett is being scheduled for sometime next week, Deputy Attorney General Bill Stokes said. Prosecutors will ask the Waterville district judge to order Hackett held without bail. Hackett is being held in the Kennebec County Corrections Facility in Waterville.
The case then goes before a Kennebec County grand jury in November for a hearing and, hopefully, an indictment, Stokes said. If indicted, Hackett's case will be tried in Superior Court, which has jurisdiction in felony criminal cases, Stokes explained.
Hackett, 47, was released from prison in Utah last March, after serving 11 years on a felony kidnapping conviction for a 1992 kidnap and alleged sexual assault of a woman from downtown Salt Lake City. Hackett was first incarcerated on the charges in 1992, but spent two years undergoing a psychological evaluation at the state hospital before pleading to a single kidnapping charge in 1994.
Originally, it was recommended that Hackett spend 45 months — just under four years — in prison, but the Board of Pardons opted for a longer sentence, board administrator John Green said.
"He did more than twice the guidelines," Green said.
Hackett was paroled to Maine under an interstate compact agreement in order to live with his parents, Utah Adult Probation and Parole spokesman Bradley Bassi said. Records from Maine's probation services, which was monitoring Hackett, show that he was keeping in regular contact with his probation officer as required, Bassi added. Hackett was to remain under supervision for three years, Green said.
Hackett was arrested in Maine on Monday on a parole violation. Maine State Police spokesman Stephen McCausland would not say what the violation was, but Bassi said the record indicates that Hackett left Maine for Connecticut without permission.
Maine corrections officials declined to comment, but a Thursday Associated Press story quoted corrections Commissioner Martin Magnusson as saying his department is reviewing its handling of Hackett to determine if mistakes were made.
Whether here or in another state under a compact agreement, Utah parolees must meet certain conditions in order to maintain parole status, Bassi explained. They must live with family members and have good employment prospects upon release and comply with the conditions imposed by the parole board. Those conditions typically include abstinence from alcohol or drug use, and completion of therapy or substance abuse programs.
The conditions of Hackett's parole included that he successfully complete mental health therapy to address "cognitive restructuring of impulse control, medication monitoring and sexual issues," Green said.
The Maine criminal charges technically changes Hackett's status as a Utah parolee. Were he in Utah, he would be returned to prison and his parolee status revoked. But it doesn't make sense to seek to return him to Utah, Bassi said. Because Hackett could spend the rest of his life in prison if he is convicted in Maine, Utah's parole board would likely just terminate its interest in Hackett, he said.
E-mail: jdobner@desnews.com