The man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend in Bangor last month was released from the Maine Department of Corrections’ custody about two months before her death.
Richard Keith Thorpe, 42, is charged with intentional or knowing or depraved indifference murder in the death of Virginia Cookson, 39, of Bangor on Sept. 25. Cookson, who was found dead in her home on Larkin Street, died from strangulation in a homicide, the Maine medical examiner’s office ruled.
When Thorpe was initially charged in the death of Cookson, it was unclear when and why he was released from prison as he was sentenced in January 2021 to nearly five years for domestic violence aggravated assault. He began his sentence with the Maine Department of Corrections on Jan. 27, 2021, at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham.
He was released from prison into the Supervised Community Confinement Program on Feb. 13, corrections spokesperson Samuel Prawer said. The program allows a person to serve part of their sentence outside of prison but within strict parameters. The person is still considered to be in custody of the department of corrections.
Thorpe was in the program until July 2, when he was fully released from custody of the Maine Department of Corrections, Prawer said.
Anytime someone is released from custody sooner than their sentence is scheduled to end is because they earned sentence deductions known as “good time” for various reasons as outlined in state law.
Thorpe has a lengthy criminal history dating back to May 1999, including felony charges that prohibit him from possessing guns, according to his 44-page criminal record requested by the Bangor Daily News.
Cookson and Thorpe started dating in April and had been living together, but Thorpe had recently moved out because they had broken up, according to court records.
Thorpe was denied bail and is in the Penobscot County Jail. He is scheduled for a status conference Nov. 25 at 8:30 a.m.
