Fugitive wanted for murder in Maine arrested after high-speed chase with Massachusetts State Police

1

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A Maine man suspected of murdering a woman in Bangor was arraigned Friday in Central Berkshire District Court on multiple charges after a high-speed police chase ended in Pittsfield. The defendant, Richard Keith Thorpe, 42, of Maine, is charged with negligent conduct, failure to stop for police, resisting arrest and receiving a stolen motor vehicle.

Thorpe led Pittsfield police on a chase through West Pittsfield before colliding with an unmarked police cruiser, authorities said. He was taken into custody and arraigned before Judge Gioscia, who ordered Thorpe held without bail.

Thorpe is also a suspect in the death of Virginia Cookson, who was found dead in a home in Bangor, Maine, on September 25. Investigators are working with the Maine State Police on the case.