Unsolved homicides receiving fresh look

AUGUSTA – A former drug prosecutor has been reviewing and analyzing Maine’s unsolved homicides for about a year, hoping that a fresh look can result in a breakthrough.

The hiring of Lara Nomani marked the first time that the Attorney General’s Office has dedicated a single person to the cold cases. A 1999 law creating a “cold case squad” in the state police was passed but never funded.

Maine has 87 unsolved homicides, and Deputy Attorney General Bill Stokes, the head of the criminal division, suggested creating the new position.

“I don’t want to build up anyone’s hopes, but we can say we’ve looked at the case and done everything we think we can do. We owe that at least to the survivors and the victims,” Stokes said.

In her part-time position, Nomani has reviewed about a half-dozen cases, spending about two months on each. The cases were selected by the commanders of the three state police criminal investigative divisions and the Portland and Bangor police departments, which investigate their own homicides.

As she examines the cases, Nomani reviews notes and evidence, makes sure information is in one place and ensures that everything from interviews to lab work has been fully pursued.

“I ask a lot of questions. It’s a lot of digging,” she said.

Stokes won’t say which cases were analyzed or what progress has been made. So far, none of the newly reviewed cases has made its way to court, but Stokes said that’s not surprising.

“I have much more realistic expectations. If we could solve one once in a while that would be great,” he said. “I could not be in a position of promising families that I can solve their cases, but what I can do is make sure we put in the time to make sure that whatever should be done is now being done.”