PORTLAND — A Cumberland County grand jury today indicted a 50-year-old Skowhegan man for manslaughter in the shooting death of a South Portland man.

Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland said in a press release that Bruce Lavallee-Davidson was charged with allegedly shooting and killing Fred Wilson, a 50-year-old computer programmer, on April 18.

An indictment is a determination that enough evidence exists to prosecute, not a finding of guilt.

Investigators from the Maine State Police said Wilson was in the basement of his Willard Beach home with two other men when he was fatally shot in the head. Police said Wilson was killed in the early morning hours, but the incident was not reported until later that evening. 

Both of the other men have reportedly cooperated with the investigation. 

The death was ruled a homicide by state police. The manslaughter charge indicates the shooting was accidental, not premeditated. 

Friends and family remembered Wilson as a brilliant computer programmer who went out of his way to lend a hand. He had a passion for gardening, a flair for interior design and loved riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle. Wilson’s sister said he had lived life to the fullest and had become fearless later in life. 

Wilson was buried at sea on April 24 near Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth.

McCausland said Lavallee-Davidson is expected to turn himself in at Cumberland County Jail on Monday. He will likely make his first court appearance later next week. 

Randy Billings can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 100 or rbillings@theforecaster.net