Maine Supreme Court Overturns Aroostook County Murder Conviction

The state supreme court has overturned the murder conviction of the accused trigger man in a drug-related killing in Aroostook County, the first murder conviction to be set aside in more than a decade in Maine.

The Court on Thursday unanimously ruled that the trial judge erred in instructing the jury. The ruling hands a legal victory to 25-year-old Marcus Asante, of Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

Asante is serving a 35-year prison sentence for shooting an Oakfield man nine times during a pot deal in Sherman in 2016.

The Attorney General's Office says Asante won’t be released from custody while he awaits a new trial.