Nichole Cable Murder Trial: Man Accused Of Luring Teen Online Before Her Death Is No Killer, Defense Says

A kidnapping-murder trial has begun for a man suspected of killing a Maine teenage girl by luring her with a fake Facebook account, the Associated Press has learned.

Kyle Dube's attorneys fiercely defended their client in Bangor court on Monday, saying the 21-year-old was at home the night Nichole Cable died May 12, 2013.

But prosecutors say gathered evidence, including the suspect's DNA at the victim's home and on the victim, are the marks of a guilty man.

"At the end of this trial, your common sense and reason will tell you that Kyle Dube created a Facebook account, kidnapped and killed Nichole Cable," said Assistant Attorney General Donald Macomber, the Bangor Daily News reported.

The defendant allegedly lured Cable by pretending to be another man named Bryan Butterfield and convinced her to leave her Glenburn home to meet him, according to the newspaper. Dube and Cable were reportedly friends.

He then planned to kidnap Cable while wearing a ski mask, stash her somewhere and later return without the mask to rescue her and be hailed a hero, police said.

Cable was found dead in the woods in Old Town on May 20, eight days after she was reported missing. A medical examiner determined the cause of death was "asphyxia due to compression of the neck."

Defense attorney Wendy Hatch said prosecutors were too hasty in charging her client, who pleaded not guilty.

"We are here to show you the state has holes in their case. They have mistakes, big mistakes," Hatch told the jury, the AP reported. Dube "got up the next morning, got dressed, kissed his daughter goodbye and went to work."

But according to investigators, the fake social media account was traced to Dube's home in Orono. His DNA was found on a hat at the end of Cable's driveway and underneath her fingernails. The suspect's cellphone also placed him near her home.

Also, when Dube was taken to jail for an unrelated traffic offense, he allegedly made a reference to the murder during an emotional outburst. Officers had to calm him down.

"Dube responded it was what he had done, that they didn't know he had done, that he was worried about," Macomber said.

Dube's trial is expected to last two weeks. He faces a sentence of 25 years to life.

Tags

Murder, Kidnapping, Maine, Facebook