BELFAST – Accused murderer Jerome Reynolds II entered a plea of not guilty during his arraignment in Waldo County Superior Court on Monday. He is being held without bail.

Reynolds, 54, of Brooks, is charged with the Sept. 29, 2004, shotgun slaying of Janet Bacon, 60, also of Brooks. Bacon was killed by a single shot to the face from a 12-gauge, double-barrel shotgun while inside Reynolds’ home on Purple Heart Highway.

The shooting occurred at approximately 8:15 p.m., moments after Bacon allegedly forced her way into Reynolds’ home and confronted his 76-year-old father, Jerome Reynolds Sr.

Bacon and the elder Reynolds reportedly had a relationship, and Bacon allegedly had argued with Reynolds earlier that evening when she learned he had been playing cards with other women at the local senior citizens center.

After the argument, Reynolds Sr. went to his son’s home to avoid further confrontation with Bacon. Reynolds and his father were watching a Boston Red Sox game on television when Bacon drove into the yard, sounded the horn repeatedly and then entered the home.

She was unarmed and clad in slippers and a hospital gown, according to police reports of the shooting.

State police Detective Scott Bryant reported that Reynolds Jr. ordered Bacon to leave his home and grabbed a shotgun from his closet when she refused. Bacon was shot in the face with a single blast of buckshot and died instantly.

Reynolds Jr. dialed 911 and told the Waldo County Communications Center dispatcher that “he had just shot and killed a woman,” according to his report. The elder Reynolds witnessed the shooting.

When he appeared in court Monday, Reynolds Jr. responded “not guilty” when asked by the court clerk how he wanted to plead to the murder charge. Justice Donald H. Marden gave the attorneys in the case until March 1 to file written motions and until April 1 to enter a change in plea, including one of criminal responsibility because of mental disease or defect.

After the arraignment, defense attorney Jeffrey Silverstein of Bangor said he intended to prove that Reynolds Jr. acted within the boundaries of the law. He said state law permits the use of deadly force when someone trespasses on another’s property with the intent of committing a crime.

Silverstein said Bacon had a history of barging into the homes of Reynolds’ family members. He said police were called to the home of Jerome Reynolds’ son a few months before the shooting.

“The law gives you the right to use deadly force when you believe an individual to be committing a criminal trespass. He told her to leave. He needed to reasonably believe she was going to commit a crime in his house,” said Silverstein. “In light of her history, I think he had ample basis to entertain those beliefs and thoughts as reasonable.”

Silverstein raised the issue of Bacon’s past during an unsuccessful bail hearing conducted in October 2004. During the hearing, Reynolds Jr.’s son Jerome III and daughter-in-law Tammy of Liberty described a violent confrontation with Bacon at their home in December 2003 during which the police were called.

“It was a regular donnybrook,” said Silverstein.

Reynolds Sr. was staying at his grandson’s home after having just been released from the hospital. Reynolds III and his wife testified that Bacon forced her way into the home and attempted to drag the elder Reynolds from his recliner as he slept.

A struggle ensued and the police were called. No charges were filed, but Reynolds III acknowledged that he had informed his father of Bacon’s behavior toward Reynolds Sr.

The Reynolds trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 12. Reynolds Jr. is being held at the Waldo County Jail pending the trial.