Belfast - The man charged with murdering a Florida man, whose body was found in Newburgh last week, was in court Thursday.

Daniel Porter, 24, was ordered to be held without bail following a hearing that lasted nearly three hours in Belfast.

During a lengthy round of questioning with lead State Police Detective, Brian Strout, we learned more about how 31-year old Jerry Perdomo died.

Strout said Perdomo was killed by a single gunshot wound that went right through the side of his head. Perdomo's body was found wrapped in a tarp tied at both ends, on land owned by Porter's grandmother.

Porter's defense attorney, Jeff Silverstein, asked the judge to release his client to his family, citing Porter's cooperation with police as proof that he's not a flight risk.

In his testimony, Strout said that police weren't concerned that Porter would flee after he was initially interviewed in Connecticut, where he was found with his girlfriend after Perdomo had disappeared.

But state prosecutor, Leanne Zainea, says that is exactly why Porter should not be released. Zainea said that just days after Perdomo was reported missing, Porter's girlfriend received a lot of cash, and that she and Porter bought a car and fled to Connecticut, where Porter has family.

Court records say Porter told his relatives the visit might be the last time they see him.

"Those were significant points to the state, that he took certain steps after the homicide, and ultimately left the state after purchasing a vehicle," said Zainea.

Silverstein disagreed, arguing it's possible that his client may have already intended to buy a car before Perdomo disappeared.

"I don't really attach the same significance to it as the judge did. I think some of these events, he had received some funds from his mother due to reasons completely unrelated to this, and had it been his intention to use those to purchase a vehicle. The chronology is what it is and I do not think one is necessarily linked to each other."

The hearing also touched upon alleged threats that Perdomo had made to Porter. Porter claims Perdomo offered to knock $500 off of a drug debt if he could rape Porter's girlfriend, Cheyanne Nowak.

Police have said that Perdomo and Porter were involved in drug related business, but outside of court Silverstein blamed Perdomo for the activity.

He said Perdomo had been coming to Maine once a month for nearly a year as part of a drug trafficking business, which involved delivering thousands of prescription pills to the state.

In attendance at the hearing was Perdomo's wife, Tonya, who didn't have any comment for us as she left.

Porter's family and friends filled four rows of the courtroom. As some of them left, they put on T-shirts they had made, which read, "We support the right to protect our families."

At Porter's initial court appearance last week, many of them told us he was acting in self defense.

The state says the next step in the case is to wait for a grand jury indictment.

Print this Story