Conviction reinstated against Maine man who killed his sister’s boyfriend

PORTLAND, Maine (WMTW) - The Maine Supreme Judicial Court Thursday reinstated the manslaughter conviction against Mark Cardilli Jr.

The Portland man, who is white, shot and killed his sister’s boyfriend, Isahak Muse, who is Black, in 2019.

According to court documents, he shot him three times in the chest, but Cardilli Jr. claimed it was in self-defense.

He was released on bail in August 2023 after a judge tossed the conviction and ordered a new trial, saying Cardilli’s lawyers did not adequately argue the shooting was done in self-defense.

The Maine Attorney General’s Office appealed that ruling.

In their ruling Thursday, the justices said that in finding Cardilli Jr. guilty of manslaughter instead of murder, the trial judge deemed prosecutors had proven their case beyond a reasonable doubt.

The shooting created tension in Portland’s Muslim community, with some calling it a hate crime by a white man against a Black Muslim.

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