In the late summer of 2006, the tranquility of the small town of Newry, Maine, was shattered by a horrific series of events that began with the disappearance of James Whitehurst. A 50-year-old handyman, James had been residing at a local bed and breakfast while seeking custody of his children after separating from his common-law wife. Originally from Arkansas, he was known to have a limp from a childhood bout with polio.
His life, however, would be brutally cut short in the dense woods of nearby Upton.
On September 1, 2006, under the guise of a fishing trip, a fellow resident of the inn named Christian Nielsen lured James into a remote wooded area. There, Nielsen shot James multiple times, ending his life. The brutality did not end with the murder. Nielsen returned to the scene the following day to dismember and burn James's remains in an attempt to conceal his heinous act. A few days later, what was left of James Whitehurst was discovered by authorities, but by then, the killer had already struck again.
The investigation into James's death quickly unraveled a shocking killing spree. Christian Nielsen, a 31-year-old cook who also lived at the inn, confessed to the murder of James and three other individuals over the Labor Day weekend. Nielsen's subsequent victims were the inn's owner, Julie Bullard, her daughter Selby Bullard, and a friend, Cynthia Beatson. During his confession, Nielsen led police to the location where he had disposed of James's body.
The motive provided for this string of brutal slayings was chillingly simple in its complexity. Nielsen told investigators that he found James "objectionable." He also admitted to having homicidal thoughts for about five years and expressed a desire to be a serial killer. In October 2007, Christian Nielsen pleaded guilty to four counts of murder and was sentenced for his crimes. The shocking and violent nature of these events left a lasting scar on the small Maine community.
