Ethnic slur raised as murder motive Suspect’s sister tells of attack at OOB

ALFRED – The sister of a murder suspect says her brother flew into a rage when the victim called her by a name that’s considered derogatory by many American Indians, according to court records.

Angela Humphrey told investigators that she was with her brother, Benjamin Humphrey, his girlfriend and another friend in Old Orchard Beach when Derek Rogers, a Canadian tourist, approached them early on July 31 and bought beer for the group.

Rogers, 47, of Russell, Ontario, began asking about the siblings’ ancestry and the two were unable to steer the conversation toward other topics, Angela Humphrey said. She and her brother are American Indians who were born in South Dakota. They were adopted as toddlers and brought to northern Maine

Angela Humphrey said her brother attacked Rogers after the tourist called her “squaw.” Some people say the word translates roughly to “whore” and is a corruption of another word that refers to a female body part.

Benjamin Humphrey, 29, of Presque Isle, and his girlfriend, Aimee Pelletier, 23, were arrested in South Dakota five days after his sister went to police on Aug. 9.

Humphrey pleaded innocent to murder Monday in York County Superior Court and remains in jail. Pelletier, who has been out on bail since Sept. 20, was indicted on felony charges of hindering apprehension, theft and assault.

The court documents provide the first glimpse into the events that unfolded on the beach that night.

After being attacked, Rogers tried to get away from Benjamin Humphrey but fell, according to a police affidavit. Angela Humphrey told police she tried to pull her brother off Rogers, but could not.

Rogers’ eyeglasses were broken and he was screaming for help when Benjamin Humphrey stuffed several handfuls of sand into Rogers’ mouth.

Rogers was left lying on his back with sand coming out of his mouth and nose, Angela Humphrey told police.

Humphrey’s mother, Donna Humphrey, who lives in Las Vegas, said she believed her son has a drinking problem and can become violent. But she said she didn’t think he would deliberately kill someone. She said she thought her son would react strongly to a person calling his sister an offensive name.

But the facts in the affidavit do not make sense to Rogers’ sister, Lorna Simard. Speaking from her home in Ottawa, Simard said there were several items in the affidavit that did not fit with her brother’s character, specifically the use of a racial slur.

“I can’t imagine him calling a woman [that name],” she said. “We don’t use that terminology.”

Simard also said she couldn’t imagine that her brother, who by several friends’ accounts was a nondrinker, would provide beer to strangers.

“What does fit, yes, I would think my brother would talk to people,” she said. “He was a friendly person and if he saw people, he would talk to them.”