PORTLAND — A Scarborough man who is accused of using his Ford Explorer to run down a man in Portland last week is due back in court today to face a new charge of murder.
Timothy Antone, 42, was charged with attempted murder after his arrest Wednesday at the Auburn Terrace building. The charge was elevated to murder Sunday, after officials learned that Roland Villacci, 49, had died at Maine Medical Center.
"I had been following it since I first heard about what had happened," said Bill Stokes, head of the criminal division in the state Attorney General's Office. That office prosecutes all homicide cases in Maine.
Given what he had heard about the extensive injuries suffered by Villacci, Stokes was not surprised to get the call on Sunday from Assistant Attorney General Lisa Marchese, informing him of Villacci's death. Marchese will prosecute Antone on the murder charge, Stokes said.
He declined to discuss the elements of the case, except to say that a dispute between Antone and Villacci, centered on Antone's ex-wife, had been escalating for at least a week.
"The common element here appears to be the ex-wife," Stokes said. "Something was brewing that precipitated the event."
One of Villacci's brothers, Nick Villacci of Gray, said Antone had accused Roland Villacci of assaulting his ex-wife. Antone left several notes at the Auburn Terrace apartment complex, said Nick Villacci, who denied that his brother ever assaulted the woman.
At 11:20 a.m. Wednesday, Antone was parked in his Ford Explorer near building B of Auburn Terrace. He called Villacci in his second-floor apartment and told him to come outside.
Villacci, a bodybuilder and a mechanic, came out of the building. According to police, Antone stepped on the gas and accelerated. Villacci tried to move out of the way, but the Explorer rammed into him and continued into the side of the building.
Antone got out of the vehicle, and within a few minutes he was arrested. Villacci was taken to Maine Medical Center, where he remained in a coma and on life support until his death on Sunday.
Antone made his initial court appearance on Friday. His bail was set at $100,000 cash or $150,000 property. Those bail amounts were revoked after the murder charge was filed on Sunday.
Antone is due in court at 1 p.m. today. The judge will make sure that Antone understands the charges against him. His lawyer will be entitled to argue for bail, or he could reserve that argument for a hearing to be held later.
More than 40 people attended a candlelight vigil Sunday night for Villacci outside his apartment building.
Nick Villacci said the family has received dozens of calls and e-mails of condolence. The family hopes to arrange memorial services on Friday.
"There is a lot of support. It makes you feel good that there are that many people that love him," Nick Villacci said.
Staff Writer Trevor Maxwell can be contacted at 791-6451 or at: tmaxwell@pressherald.com
Reader comments
Click here to view or add comments on this story
Were you interviewed for this story? If so, please fill out our accuracy form