Christian Nielsen is a convicted quadruple murderer who killed four people over Labor Day weekend in 2006 at and near the Black Bear Bed and Breakfast in Newry, Maine. He pleaded guilty to all four counts and is serving four concurrent life sentences, meaning he will die in prison. The Christian Nielsen Maine murders were described by state police as the largest multiple homicide in Maine in more than a decade.1The New York Times. Man Is Charged in Killings at Maine Bed and Breakfast
What Happened Over Labor Day Weekend 2006
Nielsen was 31 years old, working as a cook at a restaurant in Bethel and boarding at the Black Bear Bed and Breakfast, a lodge in Newry near the Sunday River ski resort. On September 1, 2006, he lured a fellow boarder, 50-year-old handyman James Whitehurst, on a supposed fishing trip. There was no fishing hole. Nielsen drove Whitehurst to a remote clearing in an unorganized township called C Surplus and shot him, then returned the next day to dismember and cremate the body in a fire pit.2Arkansas Online. Batesville Man Killed in Maine Remembered With Memorial
To cover up the first killing, Nielsen then killed three more people at the inn itself. Julie Bullard, 65, owned the bed and breakfast. Her daughter Selby Bullard, 30, and Selby’s best friend and coworker Cindy Beatson, 43, were killed on September 4 after they came to check on Julie, who had stopped answering her phone.3CBS News. 3 of 4 Maine B&B Victims Dismembered Nielsen used a chainsaw, hacksaw, and ax to dismember three of the four victims.4Times Argus. Restaurant Worker Gets Life for 4 Murders
Who the Four Victims Were
James Whitehurst was from Batesville, Arkansas. He loved motorcycles, snowmobiles, and the outdoors, had a limp from childhood polio and hearing loss, and was trying to regain visitation rights with his children. His 16-year-old son later erected a memorial at the remote site where his father was killed.2Arkansas Online. Batesville Man Killed in Maine Remembered With Memorial5KAIT8. Batesville Murder Victim Remembered With Memorial in Remote Spot
Julie Bullard had moved to Maine from San Francisco with her daughter Selby to run the Black Bear Bed and Breakfast. Selby, recently widowed after her husband died in a car crash, had two children ages 12 and 9 and worked part-time at Apple Tree Realty in Bethel.6Foster’s Daily Democrat. B&B Slayings: Nielsen’s Victims
Cindy Beatson, born Cynthia Cabral, grew up in the Bethel area and had once sewn wedding gowns in Boston. She was married to Doug Beatson, a local carpenter, and they had a 12-year-old daughter, Carlee. She had earned her real estate license about 18 months before her death and had reached a million dollars in sales the month before she was killed.7Sun Journal. Family Mourns Super Mom
How Nielsen Was Caught
The murders came to light on September 4, 2006, when Nielsen confessed to his father, Charles Nielsen. Charles’s wife, Lee Graham, then called the Maine State Police.8Sun Journal. Troubled Childhood When Trooper Dan Hanson arrived at the Black Bear Inn and asked what was going on, Nielsen told him, “Well, I killed some people, Dan. I shot them all. The gun’s in the house in the tool chest.”9Findlaw. State v. Nielsen
Hanson followed a trail of blood from the inn into the brush and found the dismembered remains of two victims. A third body was under a tarp about fifty yards away. While being watched at a police cruiser, Nielsen volunteered that officers would not find the fourth body because he had burned it, and he gave detailed directions to the fire pit near Upton. A forensic anthropologist later confirmed the identity of those remains. Detective Jennifer King then interviewed Nielsen at the Newry Fire Station, where he confessed to all four killings.9Findlaw. State v. Nielsen
What Nielsen Said About Why
Nielsen told investigators he had wanted to be a serial killer and had been thinking about killing someone for five years.4Times Argus. Restaurant Worker Gets Life for 4 Murders Prosecutor Andrew Benson said Nielsen’s only stated reason for killing Whitehurst was that he found the man “objectionable,” and the three subsequent murders were committed to cover up the first. Nielsen himself acknowledged that after extensive discussions with his attorneys, “we never came up with anything concrete” as a motive.10NBC News. Maine Man Pleads Guilty to Killing Four People Dr. Charles Robinson, a psychologist who interviewed Nielsen nearly 20 times, called the motivation a “mystery.”
Nielsen initially pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Two forensic psychologists evaluated him and concluded that while he suffered from schizoid personality disorder, he was not legally insane.4Times Argus. Restaurant Worker Gets Life for 4 Murders
The Guilty Plea and Life Sentences
Nielsen was charged with four counts of murder in Oxford County Superior Court. On October 8, 2007, one day before jury selection was scheduled to begin, he dropped the insanity defense and pleaded guilty to all four counts.10NBC News. Maine Man Pleads Guilty to Killing Four People On October 18, 2007, Justice Robert Crowley sentenced him to four concurrent life sentences. Under Maine law, a life sentence carries no possibility of release.4Times Argus. Restaurant Worker Gets Life for 4 Murders
The plea was conditional, preserving Nielsen’s right to appeal certain legal issues. The Supreme Judicial Court of Maine affirmed the conviction and sentence in May 2008.9Findlaw. State v. Nielsen