ALFRED, Maine (AP) — A man called police to accuse his neighbor of stealing alcohol before he nearly decapitated him with a machete and buried his body under a pile of rotting deer carcasses, police said Monday in court documents.
Bruce Akers, 57, of Limington, called police a day before Douglas Flint was reported missing to say that he suspected Flint had stolen items from him, including a six-pack of alcoholic beverages, according to a police affidavit.
Police questioned Akers and used a cadaver dog to find the body of 55-year-old Douglas Flint on Akers’ property on Saturday.
Akers was charged with murder and entered no plea during his initial court appearance Monday. Robert LeBrasseur, one of two lawyers appointed to represent him, had no comment.
The affidavit by state police detective Corey Pike outlined run-ins and unusual behavior by Akers, who allegedly trespassed and bathed in Flint’s swimming pool.
But it was Akers who said he’d been aggrieved by the neighbor, blurting to York County Sheriff’s Department investigators: “The guy just wouldn’t leave me alone.”
Police obtained a search warrant after Akers shook his head “no” when asked if his neighbor was alive and told them he could bring them to the body. Under further questioning, he told detectives he’d been planning to contact them but that he wanted “a few hours of freedom.”
Family members reported Flint missing on Friday, saying he was last seen on Thursday evening, after Akers had complained to police about the alleged missing items. His body was found Saturday.
An autopsy by the state medical examiner’s office indicated Flint died from injuries to the head and neck with “almost total decapitation,” Pike wrote in the affidavit. A bloody machete also was found, he said.