911 transcript reveals slaying suspect admitted to strangling Husson student

BANGOR — The local man accused of killing a 21-year-old Husson University student called 911 after the woman’s death on Nov. 18 and told the dispatcher he had “lost it” and “strangled my ex-girlfriend,” according to a transcript of the call.

“What happened there?” the Bangor dispatcher asks.

“Ah … pretty much lost it I guess you could say and I strangled her,” responds the caller, who identified himself as 21-year-old Zackery Mailloux.

“Are you’re sure she’s dead?” the dispatcher asks.

“I am positive,” Mailloux says during the call, which came into the Bangor Emergency Dispatch Center at 2:57 p.m. Monday, Nov. 18, according to the transcript.

Mailloux was arrested shortly afterward and charged with murder in the death of Brooke Locke, 21, of Auburn, whose body was found in the Essex Street apartment the couple shared. When indicted by the Penobscot County grand jury on Nov. 27, kidnapping and gross sexual assault were added to the count of intentional or knowing murder.

The Bangor Daily News obtained a copy of the emergency call transcript on Thursday from the Bangor Police Department through Maine’s Freedom of Access Law.

Mailloux called 911 from his cellphone and the call first was received by a dispatcher from the Maine State Police, who transferred the call to Bangor.

“Hi, this is state police. I have a caller on the line at 166 Essex Street, Apartment B as in boy, that wants to admit to a murder that has occurred, ah, shortly ago and the victim is a Brooke Locke …,” the transcript begins.

After ascertaining that her body is in the apartment and asking for the caller’s name and birth date, the Bangor dispatcher continues the chilling conversation with Mailloux.

“How long has she been dead?” the dispatcher asks.

“Hour and a half maybe,” Mailloux responds.

The dispatcher then tries to determine before police arrive whether Mailloux is armed or used any weapon.

“No, I used a necktie in all honesty,” he replies.

Dispatch: “You used a necktie on her?”

Mailloux: “Yup.”

At one point the dispatcher asks Mailloux, “What were you guys arguing about?”

“Ah, well it’s kind of a long story and simply put she’s pretty much been I guess you could say unfaithful,” Mailloux responds. “And been seeing other people.”

“How’d you find this out?” the dispatcher asks.

“Um, well, I’ve been suspicious for a while,” Mailloux responds. “Everything has led up to it and I found out through her phone and … her finally admitting it. Yeah, I guess you could say, she finally did admit everything.”

“She admitted it today?” the dispatcher asks.

“Yup, pretty much,” Mailloux says. “The only reason she did is because she felt she had no choice because obviously her life was in jeopardy, I guess you could say.”

“What do you mean her life was in jeopardy?” the dispatcher asks. “She knew that her life was in jeopardy?”

“Yeah, she did,” Mailloux responds.

“Did she fight with you or … ?” the dispatcher inquires.

“Today not so much,” Mailloux says.

The call continues for a while longer as the dispatcher tries to determine whether Mailloux will cooperate with police when they arrive.

“If I wasn’t cooperative, I wouldn’t have called,” Mailloux says.

The call ends only after police are on the scene and with Mailloux.

A police affidavit filed in the case, which was unsealed after Mailloux was indicted by the grand jury, adds more details of what Mailloux described happened inside the apartment during the last hours of Locke’s life.

Mailloux told investigators that he thought he had strangled Locke to death earlier in the day on Nov. 18 but that she regained consciousness and he then tied her up with wire cords and duct tape. While she remained bound during the morning hours, Mailloux physically and sexually assaulted her, according to the affidavit.

Locke, who graduated from Edward Little High School in 2010 and was a third-year occupational therapy student at Husson, also was a member of the Epsilon Tau Epsilon sorority. Friends remember her as a woman who was always smiling, who was outgoing and helpful. She aspired to be a doctor, her father has said.

Mailloux, a 2010 Houlton High School graduate, was a continuing education student at Husson.

In the transcript of his emergency call, Mailloux indicates that he called two people after Locke’s death and before calling 911.

One was his cousin, who also lived at the Essex Street apartment with Mailloux and Locke. The man, whose name is redacted from the transcript, returned to the apartment and was there when police arrived.

The second person was Mailloux’s grandmother, who lives in southern Maine and whose name also is redacted.

“So, you admitted it to your grandmother,” the dispatcher asked.

“That is correct,” Mailloux responded on the 911 transcript.

“And what did she tell you?” the dispatcher inquired.

“She didn’t know what to tell me,” Mailloux said.

If convicted, Mailloux faces between 25 years and life in prison on the murder charge.

BDN writer Judy Harrison contributed to this report.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call 866-834-4357, TRS 800-787-3224. This free, confidential service is available 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in Maine.