Texas eyes death penalty in Maine man’s death

PORTLAND – A Texas prosecutor says he plans to seek capital murder charges against five suspects linked to the fatal stabbing of a Biddeford man last February.

The body of James Junkins, 21, was found in a roadside ditch in Wharton County, about an hour’s drive south of Houston.

District Attorney Josh McCown said he believes evidence will show that Junkins was murdered during a robbery.

“I’m not prepared to say robbery was a motive. It was a factor,” McCown said Tuesday. He noted that suspects can face the death penalty in such cases.

The five suspects include Junkins’ friend and traveling companion, Edward Bachelder, 21, of Portland, who came forward last month to tell Portland police that he witnessed the slaying. His statements led investigators to the other suspects, all of whom are now in custody.

McCown said he hopes to take the case before a grand jury in August or September. He said that if Bachelder is convicted, his decision to turn himself in would be a mitigating factor at sentencing.

Bachelder’s statement was the key break in the case and led to the identification of the body as that of Junkins.