Robert Fuller Jr., a Maine lawyer and philanthropist, was shot to death at a senior living facility in Maryland on Saturday. He was 87.
Police and emergency personnel from Montgomery County were called to the Cogir Potomac Senior Living facility around 7:30 a.m. Saturday, the Montgomery County Department of Police said in a news release.
Fuller was found unresponsive in an apartment at the facility with trauma to his head. Lifesaving measures were attempted, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Montgomery County police.
Detectives confirmed that Fuller had been shot. His death is being investigated as a homicide, according to the department.
Police have not made any arrests or released information about suspects.
Anyone with information regarding this crime is asked to submit a tip at this link or call 866-411-8477. Tips with information leading to an arrest may be eligible for a reward from $250 up to $10,000. Tips may remain anonymous.
Fuller practiced law in Maine for more than 35 years, was a senior officer in the Naval Reserve, and authored the novel “Unnatural Deaths,” published in 2009.
His philanthropy included contributions to many institutions in the Augusta area, including a $1.64 million gift in 2021 to modernize Cony High School’s Alumni Field complex.
He was a descendant of Supreme Court Chief Justice Melville Fuller, who served from 1833 to 1910 and notably voted to uphold the “separate but equal” decision in the landmark Plessy v. Ferguson.
Robert Fuller Jr. commissioned a statue of his ancestor in 2013 that was installed in front of the old Kennebec County courthouse in Augusta. The statue, however, became controversial after the killing of George Floyd in 2020 and the scrutiny that followed of the county’s history of racial injustice. Fuller ultimately agreed to take the statue back and pay for its removal.
Fuller had reportedly moved to the Washington D.C. area to be closer to family.
