Skowhegan - An Anson man is going to prison for 45 years for killing a man in 2009.

Robert Nelson, 41, was sentenced Tuesday

Nelson was found guilty of murder in December.

Prosecutors say Nelson shot and killed Everett Cameron, 60, and stole his drugs on Halloween 2009 in North Anson.

Cameron, who suffered from cancer, was selling his prescription drugs to a number of people, including Nelson in order to make extra money. With a long list of people who had the same motive to kill Cameron and a prosecution's case based on circumstantial evidence, Nelson's attorneys were confident he would be acquitted. Nelson waived his right to a jury trial, leaving Judge Nivison as the sole fact finder in the case. One fact that is now certain, Nivison didn't believe a word Robert Nelson had to say.

The judge told Nelson his lies made the prosecution's circumstantial case hold up. "Overall, the evidence has demonstrated the defendant is not a credible or reliable witness upon which the court can rely," Nivison said. "This is, I would submit, in contrast to the witnesses through whom the state has established its circumstantial case for the defendant's guilt."

Prosecutors and state police investigators had an uphill climb. They had no murder weapon, eye witnesses, or DNA tying Nelson directly to the murder. But state police Detective Jason Andrews and Seargeant Jeff Love, along with other investigators, did a such a thorough job of piecing together Nelson's timeline and demonstrating his inconsistencies and outright lies, prosecutors were able to overcome the lack of physical evidence. "It is normal for one who commits a crime like this with a firearm to attempt to dispose of it," Nivison said in court Tuesday. "Sometimes they do so successfully. In this case, given the evidence the defendant had the means to kill Mr. Cameron, the absence of the weapon by itself is not fatal to the state's case."

After the verdict, Everett Cameron's family said they were pleased. "Today our family learned that the man responsible for my father Everett Cameron's death is guilty," said Cameron's daughter, Nicole Sacre. "He will remain behind bars where he belongs. We are very grateful for this verdict and the closure this will bring for our family."

While they admit the verdict gives them closure, family members couldn't help but get emotional as they reflected on the man they lost. "One of the hardest parts of this trial is my father being portrayed as a drug dealer," Sacre told reporters outside the courthouse. "Everett Cameron was a good man. He worked all his life until he was stricken with cancer and he could not work any longer. He battled cancer and he won with his family by his side. He was a loving son, brother, father and he was so proud and happy to be a grandfather."

Print this Story