FALMOUTH — The trial of a man accused of killing his mother has been postponed until October because lawyers were not able to select a jury.

Andrew Leighton is accused of fatally shooting Shirley Leighton on May 3, 2013, at their home on Edgewater Drive. Leighton’s attorney, Robert LeBrasseur, said he and prosecutors interviewed 106 potential jurors at Cumberland County Superior Court in Portland, but were unable to seat a full jury and agreed on March 11 to postpone the trial.

Part of the difficulty stemmed from pre-trial publicity in the case, LeBrasseur said. He added that it’s only the second time in his 17 years of practicing law in Maine that he’s seen a trial postponed for lack of a jury.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.

filed under: