AUGUSTA — A Vassalboro man told family members that he killed a 69-year-old man because he touched his genitals, according to court documents.

Courtney Shea, 30, was ordered held without bail in his first appearance in Kennebec County Superior Court on Tuesday after being charged with intentional or knowing murder.

Shea is accused of killing Thomas Namer, 69, of Vassalboro, whose body was recovered Nov. 22 next to an abandoned motor home on Route 201 in Vassalboro.

A bail hearing was set for Dec. 5 for Shea.

In an affidavit filed with the Augusta court on Monday, Shea told investigators that he called Namer and asked him to give him a ride to an undisclosed location. Once he got into Namer’s vehicle, Shea said Namer grabbed his genitals and offered a sexual favor, according to the affidavit.

Shea said he “blacked out and killed Thomas Namer,” according to the court document.

Maine State Police Detective Abbe Chabot said Shea, after returning to his home, told his brother Robert Varney, 41, that he “killed Tommy and needed help burying him.”

He told police he routinely blacked out when he consumed alcohol. He was seen drinking beer and vodka that night by family members, and seemed buzzed but coherent, according to the affidavit.

While in court on Tuesday, Shea appeared in all orange clothes and in handcuffs. He spoke few words.

“Yeah, I understand,” Shea told Justice Michaela Murphy when asked if he understood the charge against him. He faces a minimum of 25 years and prison and a maximum of life in prison without the possibility of being released if convicted of the Class A charge.

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