Judge denies bail to Maine man accused of murder in 1987 cold case

A Maine man accused of killing his girlfriend more than 30 years ago will stay in jail while he awaits trial after a judge on Tuesday denied his request for bail. Stephen Bouchard, 63, is charged with murder in the death of 23-year-old Alice Hawkes in 1987. The two had been living together in Westbrook. Bouchard was arrested in May and has [pleaded not guilty](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/05/11/maine-man-accused-of-murder-in-1987-cold-case-pleads-not-guilty-2/). Murder defendants in Maine can be held without bail as long as prosecutors have shown probable cause justifying the charges. Defendants can ask a judge to consider setting bail through what’s known as a [Harnish hearing](https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/15/title15sec1027.html), during which they can argue that they’re neither a flight risk nor a danger to the community. In court, Bouchard’s attorney Peter Cyr [argued](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/05/21/judge-considering-bail-for-maine-man-accused-of-murder-in-1987-cold-case/) that it would be hard for his client to flee, given his serious medical needs and strong community ties. Superior Court Justice Deborah Cashman disagreed, writing in her ruling that “the incentive to flee prosecution is great,” given the risk of a mandatory 25-year sentence if Bouchard is found guilty. Advertisement “Despite ties to the community and lack of criminal history, the seriousness of the crime charged weighs strongly against setting bail,” Cashman wrote. Related [Maine man accused of murder in 1987 cold case pleads not guilty](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/05/11/maine-man-accused-of-murder-in-1987-cold-case-pleads-not-guilty-2/) Prosecutors for the state have alleged that Bouchard beat Hawkes and slit her throat on Oct. 3, 1987. Bouchard claimed he had been out running errands. Hawkes’ friends and family told police they had spoken with her on the phone that morning. A Maine State Police detective testified last month that the state moved to indict Bouchard decades later after interviewing some witnesses again and reviewing the evidence. Cashman also denied a request from Bouchard’s attorneys that she recuse herself. Cashman was a prosecutor for the Office of the Maine Attorney General’s homicide team from 2012-16. The defense argued that she had possibly been made privy to investigative details about Bouchard’s case, which was reviewed by several different prosecutors and detectives over the years. Cashman said unsolved homicides were never a part of her active caseload and that she had “no personal knowledge of the facts related to this case.” Copy the Story Link Tagged: [cold case](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/cold-case/), [Cumberland County Superior Court](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/cumberland-county-superior-court/), [murder](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/murder/) [](https://www.pressherald.com/author/emily-allen) [Emily AllenStaff Writer](https://www.pressherald.com/author/emily-allen) Emily Allen covers courts for the Portland Press Herald. It's her favorite beat so far — before moving to Maine in 2022, she reported on a wide range of topics for public radio in West Virginia and was. [More by Emily Allen](https://www.pressherald.com/author/emily-allen)