A Mexico man accused of shooting and killing his stepson Saturday allegedly told police he was afraid the victim would carry out previous threats to hurt him and his family. So he shot 27-year-old Nicholas Trynor twice with a 12-gauge shotgun.
Thomas Tellier, 52, of Mexico was charged Sunday with murder in the shooting at the home the two men shared with Tellier’s wife and his 5-year-old son on Intervale Avenue. Tellier’s wife was Trynor’s mother.
When Mexico police arrived on the scene, Tellier allegedly told police that he was “tired of being bullied and harassed by Nicholas, so he shot him,” according to a police affidavit.
Tellier made his first appearance Monday in Oxford County Superior Court. He is charged with killing the 20th person to die in Maine so far this year by homicide, a number that has already eclipsed the state’s 18 homicides in all of 2021.
Tellier was not asked to enter a plea to the charge since he has not yet been indicted by the grand jury. He is being held without bail at the Oxford County Jail in South Paris.
Trynor’s mother called 911 at about 12:55 p.m. Saturday to report the shooting, according to the affidavit. When officers and medical personnel arrived, they found Trynor deceased on his back in a hallway off the living room in the house.
The shot that killed Trynor went through the back of his left arm and into his chest, the affidavit said. The second shot appeared to be a grazing shot to the right chest area.
Tellier told investigators that Trynor was angry when he woke up because the circuit breaker had tripped and the electricity was off in his room, according to the affidavit. The young man also allegedly was upset because his younger brother, who has autism, had been hitting him while he was sitting on the living room couch.
Trynor flew into a rage, so Tellier went to get his shotgun from the master bedroom, the defendant allegedly told police. When he saw Trynor come into the hallway from the living room, Tellier was unsure if his stepson had a weapon, so he raised the shotgun and fired twice, the affidavit said.
Tellier allegedly told police that Trynor had previously threatened him and other family members with a knife and made threats of violence against them.
If convicted of murder, Tellier faces between 25 years and life in prison.