Monticello man charged with killing girlfriend denied bail
CARIBOU, Maine — An Aroostook County Superior Court judge denied bail on Friday for Jayme Schnackenburg, the Monticello man charged with killing his girlfriend Kimberly Hardy.
“Under the circumstances of this case, the court finds the defendant will be held without bail,” Justice Stephen Nelson said.
Schnackenburg, 39, was charged with intentionally and knowingly causing the death of his girlfriend, 42-year-old Kimberly Hardy, said District Court Judge Sarah Gilbert, during his initial hearing in Houlton District Court on June 26.
In court on Friday, Assistant Attorney General Leane Zainea presented evidence from the police affidavit and said that Hardy was shot twice in the head. The Maine Medical Examiner’s report said that she had two gunshot injuries to the back of her head, Zainea said.
Following evidence provided by the state, the court found probable cause that Schnackenburg did intentionally and knowingly commit the murder of Kimberly Hardy, said Nelson on Friday.
The Monticello man was arrested after Hardy’s body was discovered in a wooded area near Harvey Siding Road in Monticello, according to Maine State Police.
Schnackenburg initially appeared in Houlton District Court, the day he was arrested, but Maine Assistant Attorney General Leane Zainea requested a Harnish bail hearing.
In a Harnish hearing, the state can get a judicial finding of probable cause that the defendant has committed a capital offense, and the defendant can also rebut the case.
Schnackenburg initially questioned the contents of the probable cause affidavit during his June hearing. But his court-appointed temporary attorney, Jeff Pickering, advised Schnackenburg to wait on the matter until the court appointed an attorney to represent him.
“I told him it would be to his advantage to wait until the Harnish bail hearing,” Pickering told the judge.
Hardy’s mother reported her daughter missing on June 18 because she had not heard from Hardy for several days and she was undergoing regular medical treatment for breast cancer, her family said.
Hardy was last seen in a truck at Cameron’s Market in New Limerick on June 16, according to Hardy’s family.
In a missing person flier, her family said Hardy abandoned her vehicle and her beloved cat Peavey, which was unlike her.
If convicted, Schnackenburg could serve 25 years to the rest of his life in jail.