In the autumn of 2003, the quiet town of Parkman, Maine, became the backdrop for a grim discovery. On October 16th, the body of 23-year-old Brian Vines, a male, was found inside a remote cabin. An active-duty soldier stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Vines had traveled to Maine to visit a former Army colleague, Arthur Belanger Jr. The visit, however, took a tragic turn.
An investigation revealed that Vines had been killed on October 6, 2003, ten days before his body was discovered.
He had been shot four times from behind, with wounds to his head, neck, and arm. The investigation quickly led authorities to two individuals: 21-year-old Arthur Belanger Jr. and 20-year-old Chad Slimm, both from Madison, Maine.
Two days after the discovery of Vines' body, on October 18, 2003, Belanger and Slimm were arrested and charged with murder. During police interviews, Belanger confessed to shooting Vines, and Slimm admitted to assisting him in the act. The two men were held at the Piscataquis County Jail in Dover-Foxcroft. During their initial court appearance, neither entered a plea. In March of 2004, Chad Slimm pleaded guilty to the charge of murder.
