Man charged in girlfriend’s slaying at hotel

PORTLAND – The boyfriend of a Rockport woman who was found dead this week in a Portland hotel room was charged Friday with her murder.

Detectives arrested David Haraden at the Cumberland County Jail, where he was being held on a probation violation after Maxine Witham, 35, was found beaten to death Tuesday at the Eastland Park Hotel.

Haraden will be arraigned Monday in Portland District Court.

“From the very beginning, he was the person we were looking at,” Police Chief Michael Chitwood said. “There were no other suspects.”

Haraden was in the 12th-floor guest room when police found Witham’s body, but Chitwood said police waited three days before making the arrest to allow time to analyze evidence and interview witnesses.

Police said Witham had been abused many times by Haraden, who was an expert in martial arts. Chitwood said Haraden was charged with assaulting Witham in November 2003 but was not convicted because she refused to testify.

The chief characterized the case as a familiar tragedy in a state in which half the homicides are domestic-related. He said his department alone receives 700 calls a year involving domestic violence.