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William Hanaman, 51, was found unconscious at the scene, and had been hospitalized since then.

By TREVOR MAXWELL, Staff Writer November 18, 2009

PORTLAND — A 51-year-old carpenter charged with murdering his girlfriend last week is expected to make his first court appearance this morning.

William Hanaman of Portland was arrested and booked Tuesday afternoon at the Cumberland County Jail, where he was held without bail. He is accused of murdering Marion Shea, 47.

Shea, the mother of five, lived with a son in Gorham but had spent much of her time recently at Hanaman's apartment on Ocean Avenue, according to Hanaman's landlord.

The landlord, William Gribizis, said he got a call on the morning of Nov. 11 from a relative of Hanaman's who was concerned about his safety. Gribizis passed the message to Portland police, who checked the apartment.

Police found Shea's body and found Hanaman unconscious. He was rushed to a hospital, where he remained until his arrest.

Lisa Marchese, an assistant attorney general, said the well-being check by police probably saved Hanaman's life.

"It's certainly a possibility that he attempted suicide," Marchese said.

She declined to discuss Hanaman's medical condition at the time he was found, but did say that he was not physically injured.

Marchese also declined to say how Shea was killed. Those details could be released today in a police affidavit.

"Marion Shea's death is a domestic violence homicide," Marchese said. She said the death is the 21st homicide in Maine this year, the ninth related to domestic violence. Marchese was not including a report Tuesday of the deaths of a husband and wife in Old Orchard Beach that was under investigation as a possible murder-suicide.

Hanaman was arrested on Oct. 7 after a dispute with Shea at his apartment. He was charged with domestic violence assault and obstructing the report of a crime. Hanaman posted $1,500 cash bail and was released. As a bail condition, he was not supposed to have any contact with Shea.

Hanaman did not show up for arraignment on Nov. 5, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. That warrant was outstanding at the time Shea died.

When police charged Hanaman with murder, they also charged him with failure to appear in court on last month's charge.

Efforts to reach Hanaman's family this week have been unsuccessful. Gribizis, the landlord, has said Hanaman was a model tenant over the past two years, and he never had any reason to be concerned about him.

Gribizis described Hanaman as a hardworking carpenter and painting contractor.

Hanaman has a criminal history dating to 1981, including felony convictions for aggravated assault in 1983 and criminal threatening in 2000. He was sentenced to three years in jail and four years of probation for the criminal-threatening conviction, according to state records.

Shea loved cooking, reading, playing games and spending time with her grandchildren, according to an obituary published in the Portland Press Herald. Her funeral was held in Portland on Monday morning. She struggled with poverty and drug addiction over the years, according to court records dating back to the mid-1980s, which show several convictions for theft.

Portland detectives have worked closely with the Attorney General's Office. Representatives from both agencies met Tuesday morning to discuss the case.

Marchese said the decision to charge Hanaman came out of that meeting, but the case had been headed in that direction since the early stages of the investigation. There was apparently no urgency to charge Hanaman quickly because he was in a secure hospital setting.

Marchese said detectives are piecing together the events that led up to the killing. She is not sure how much time Hanaman and Shea spent together after the Oct. 7 arrest and the no-contact order.

"The details of their relationship are still being investigated," Marchese said.

Staff Writer Trevor Maxwell can be contacted at 791-6451 or at: tmaxwell@pressherald.com