After a bench trial with Justice Nancy Mills (the governor's sister) Mark Cardilli was sentenced to 7.5 years for shooting and killing his sister's boyfriend. However, was it self defense? After a post-conviction review, including testimony from experts on self-defense experts, Superior Court Justice John O'Neil ordered a new trial for Cardilli, saying he didn't have effective counsel.
However, the State of Maine appealed that decision to the Maine Supreme Court, which vacated the judgement! You might recognize the name of one of Cardilli's attorneys: Sarah Churchhill. She was later appointed to be a judge, and realeased a dangerous man on $1500 bail. He ended up in a stand off in Auburn on Father's Day weekend and was shot and killed. Two homes were burned and inside one, a body was found.
Governor Mills didn't agree with Churchhill's release of Leein Hinckley, or maybe just thought his bail shouldn't have been lowered to something he could afford. From this Sun Journal story:
“In my view, given the severity of the charges, the defendant’s criminal history and the serious danger he posed, these important, competing interests were not properly balanced in this case,” Mills wrote.
One competing interest which should not exist: the accused's ability to post cash bail. The governor said the judge could've appointed an attorney to Leein Hinkley. Doesn't Governor Mills know there's a lack of attorney's in Maine?
I mean the ACLU filed a lawsuit 2.5 years ago against the MCILS (Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services), which the attorney general was later added to. And just a few weeks ago, the entire government of the State of Maine was made a defendant. You can read about Robbins v. MCILS here.
The name of the Commission has been changed to MCPDS, (Maine Commission on Public Defense Services). Oh geez, I just looked at the list of the Commssion members, and former members...one of them was Sarah Churchhill.
