In the late hours of March 15, 2016, the life of 36-year-old David Anderson, a Caucasian male, was tragically cut short in a third-floor apartment on Gilman Street in Portland, Maine. A figure, mostly clad in black with their face obscured, was captured on surveillance footage standing outside the apartment door before firing multiple rounds through it. One of these bullets struck and killed Anderson, while another man inside was wounded but survived.
The shooting occurred just a week before Anderson's 37th birthday.
At the time of his death, Anderson was navigating a difficult period in his life. He was grappling with drug addiction and was homeless, often staying with various friends, including the tenant of the Gilman Street apartment. His family acknowledged his struggles but remembered him as a loving and caring brother who would give the shirt off his back to help someone else. He was involved in selling heroin, a factor that is believed to have played a role in the circumstances that led to his death.
The investigation into the homicide was active for years. Initially, police described a person of interest as a white male with a medium build, standing about six feet tall. For more than four years, the case remained unsolved, leaving Anderson's family without answers. A significant breakthrough came in August 2020, when a grand jury indicted a man named Aristotle Stilley for the murder. Stilley, who had previously lived in South Portland, was arrested in Sacramento, California, in October of that year following a traffic stop and was subsequently extradited back to Maine to face the charges.
Stilley maintained his innocence throughout the legal proceedings. When his trial finally commenced, the prosecution's case was built largely on circumstantial evidence, particularly cell phone records that allegedly placed him in the vicinity of the crime on the night of the shooting. There was little direct physical evidence tying him to the murder. After hearing the arguments from both sides, a jury found Aristotle Stilley not guilty of murdering David Anderson. Following the acquittal, the Portland police closed the investigation, leaving the question of who killed David Anderson officially unanswered and his family still searching for justice.
