Jun. 18—BIDDEFORD — Police have alleged a 45-year-old Biddeford man shot and killed another man last fall within a six-minute round trip on an electric scooter.
Garret Labonte pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges of murder, felony murder and robbery in connection with the death of Gene Dares, who was 46.
Labonte has been held without bail for nearly eight months. A York County judge is considering a request to set bail, after hearing testimony from the lead detective in the case.
Maine State Police Detective David Alexander showed the court maps of Labonte’s suspected route that he took on the scooter. Alexander had pictures, taken from cameras throughout Labonte’s neighborhood, of him leaving his apartment on State Street wearing a “Hood Rage” sweater. Various shots showed him traveling toward the area of Foss Street, then back toward State Street, Alexander testified.
But police don’t have video of the shooting.
“Certainly, this is a circumstantial case,” argued Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Ackerman, who urged the court against setting any bail.
Their case relies on several witnesses, including a woman who told police that Labonte asked her to set up the drug deal that lured Dares to the shooting.
Alexander testified that police believe Labonte had someone else purchase the gun used to kill Dares a couple of months before the shooting. He said he talked with two witnesses who said they helped Labonte get the gun from a Cabela’s, which police confirmed using videos from the store and regulatory paperwork.
He said that state police later recovered the gun from the river near Labonte’s apartment and that the state crime lab determined it matches the gun casings found near Dares, whom police found dead on Sept. 27 after responding to calls about gunfire on Foss Street.
Labonte was arrested in late October.
Linda Lambert was also charged in connection with the case. She pleaded not guilty in February to felony murder and robbery charges. Ackerman said they believe Lambert set up a fake drug deal that lured Dares to her and Labonte.
Labonte’s attorney, Daniel Dubé, took issue with many of the witnesses who police say led them to charge his client, including Lambert.
Another witness against Labonte got his name wrong and wrongly identified the suspect as someone with a red beard, which Labonte doesn’t have, Dubé said. He also suggested a third witness, who was in jail with Labonte and told prosecutors Labonte confessed, had ulterior motives.
Ackerman said prosecutors never promised that witness anything in exchange for information.
“A couple low-credibility witnesses are pointing a finger at my client,” Dubé said. “There’s no DNA or physical evidence tying my client to the crime.”
Dubé said Dares “dealt drugs in a small scale.” He said in court that some of the people Dares sold drugs to could also be potential suspects.
Dares’ mother told police about two men who had been waiting in her driveway for her son on the morning of the day he was shot, Dubé said. He also said there were accounts from people who spoke with police that Dares had “ripped off” members of a biker gang.
Dares grew up in Biddeford, according to an obituary. He was a son, brother and father to three daughters.
Both Labonte and Dares’ families were in court Wednesday.
Dares’ family sat in the front row behind prosecutors, with one relative holding a small picture of Dares. Another person also attended the hearing via Zoom, with their camera off and their name set to “Gene Dares.”
Copy the Story Link
We believe it’s important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It’s a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less