In the summer of 2012, a 61-year-old White male named Richard S. Bellittieri vanished from his life in Trenton, Maine. An active and kind man with a background in accounting, he was known for his generosity, often helping friends and students with their finances. He was in the process of building a home on a property he owned on Goose Cove Road, a project that would tragically become the backdrop to his untimely death.
Bellittieri had hired a carpenter, William Morse, to help with the construction. This decision would prove to be a fatal one.
For over a year, Bellittieri's absence went largely unnoticed. No one had reported him missing. Morse, when asked about Bellittieri's whereabouts, would tell people that he had gone out of state to deal with a family matter. In the meantime, Morse began to assume Bellittieri's identity. The disappearance only came to the attention of law enforcement in July 2013, when the Bar Harbor Police Department initiated an inquiry. This was prompted by an seemingly unrelated incident involving an intoxicated driver who, when stopped, was found to be in possession of Richard Bellittieri's car, social security card, driver's license, and bank cards. The driver was William Morse.
The investigation quickly unraveled a grim story. On July 28, 2013, investigators discovered the skeletal remains of Richard Bellittieri on his Goose Cove Road property. An autopsy would later reveal that he had been shot four times. The evidence pointed squarely at William Morse. It was discovered that Morse had been systematically draining Bellittieri's bank accounts and using his identity for months.
William Morse, then 43, was arrested and charged with the murder of Richard S. Bellittieri. During his trial, the prosecution laid out a case detailing how Morse had killed Bellittieri and then callously stepped into his life for financial gain. After a trial, a jury found William Morse guilty of murder. The investigation and subsequent conviction brought a close to the mystery of the disappearance of Richard Bellittieri, revealing a chilling tale of deception and greed that ended in a tragic and violent death.
