BANGOR – The defense has begun calling witnesses in the trial of a man charged with killing a 16-year-old girl more than three decades ago in East Millinocket.

The state rested its case against Philip Scott Fournier on Tuesday after a retired medical examiner testified about the 1980 death of Joyce McLain, who was struck on the head.

Prosecutors say Fournier confessed to killing McLain, but the defense intends to show that his memories are unreliable because of a brain injury.

Joyce McLain

McLain disappeared while jogging. That night, Fournier stole and wrecked a fuel truck, causing injuries that left him in a coma for eight days.

The killing happened before the start of DNA profiling. State officials who tested crime scene items years later were unable to obtain a match.