Robert Trundy, right, appears in Oxford County Superior Court with his attorney, Scott Lynch, in Paris on Wednesday. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)
Robert Trundy, 38, is charged with manslaughter in the death of Karen Wrentzel, 34.
Wrentzel died from a gunshot wound at the scene in the area of 490 Greenwood Mountain Road at about 10:30 on the morning of Oct. 28 after being shot by Trundy. It was opening day of deer season for resident hunters.
According to a sworn statement by District Game Warden Anthony Gray, Trundy said he could see “what he thought was the ‘ass of a deer’ with a tail, skinny legs and a possible glimpse of what he thought could have been part of a head or antler of a deer.”
Trundy shot a Browning semi-automatic, 30-06 caliber rifle with no scope, Gray wrote. Trundy’s target screamed when he shot. The hunter “thought to himself, ‘deer don’t do that,’” according to the warden’s affidavit.
Bail conditions for Trundy included no use or possession of firearms, bows or other dangerous weapons, no hunting, and no contact with witnesses in the case.
Superior Court Justice Lance Walker, who was specially assigned to handle the case, also ruled that Trundy had 48 hours to report to the Oxford County Jail to have a booking photo and his fingerprints taken, and that he was prohibited from leaving Maine without Assistant Attorney General Robert “Bud” Ellis’ permission.
Scott Lynch, Trundy’s attorney, said after the hearing that his client will be pleading not guilty when the time comes, and that he is in the process of “gathering information.”
“We believe that the affidavit submitted along with the complaint is an incomplete account of what happened and somewhat of a false narrative about the assistance that was rendered or not,” Lynch said.
He added that he was “not concerned about the statutory elements of the manslaughter charge, with respect to the hunting charge, because I think we’ll be able to demonstrate, with experts, what my client thought he saw.”
Ellis said the state was hoping to present the case to a grand jury “sometime in December.”
Beverly Spofford, Wrentzel’s grandmother, said after the hearing that she was “very angry.”
“He heard her scream,” Spofford said. “The affidavit says all this. Why didn’t he go down there and say, ‘I’m sorry,’ or something?”
She said she didn’t know whether anything would have been different if he had administered aid to Wrentzel.
“He took away my granddaughter,” Spofford said.
Jeremy Wrentzel walks his grandmother, Beverly Spofford, down the steps at the Oxford County Superior Courthouse in Paris on Wednesday. Wrentzel’s sister, Karen Wrentzel, was shot and killed by Robert Trundy, who was deer hunting on Oct. 28. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)
Beverly Spofford breaks down after talking about her granddaughter, Karen Wrentzel, with the media outside the Oxford County Superior Courthouse in Paris on Wednesday. Wrentzel was shot and killed by Robert Trundy, who was deer hunting on Oct. 28. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)
Superior Court Justice Lance Walker set Robert Trundy’s cash bail at $2,500 in Oxford County Superior Court on Wednesday. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)
Robert Trundy, center, enters the Oxford County Superior Courtroom with his attorney, Scott Lynch, in Paris on Wednesday. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)
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