Philip Scott Fournier

Active: 1980–1980
Region: East Millinocket, Maine, USA
State: ME
Kind: Single
Status: Convicted
Victims: 1

Joyce McLain, 16, went out for an evening jog in East Millinocket on August 8, 1980, and was found dead two days later near the athletic fields of Schenck High School. The case went unsolved for decades. Philip Scott Fournier, a local man who was 19 at the time, was arrested in 2016, and in February 2018 a judge found him guilty of murder after a jury-waived trial, relying largely on confessions he had made over the years. He was sentenced to 45 years, and Maine's highest court upheld the conviction in 2019.

Ask the Atlas about this case →

Victims

We remember the people whose lives were taken.

Joyce McLain, 16 · August 8, 1980
A sophomore at Schenck High School who played soccer and basketball, acted, played music and taught piano lessons.

Timeline of locations

1980
Fournier's hometown (East Millinocket) (Killer's residence, approximate area)
Fournier lived in East Millinocket, both at the time of the killing and when he was arrested.
August 10, 1980
Near Schenck High School athletic fields (Recovery site, approximate area)
Joyce was last seen jogging near the school shortly after 8 p.m. on August 8. Her body was found on the morning of August 10 behind the school's athletic fields.
2018
Maine State Prison, Warren (Prison)
Fournier is serving his 45-year sentence at the Maine State Prison in Warren.
February 22, 2018
Penobscot Judicial Center, Bangor (Court / trial)
Justice Ann Murray found Fournier guilty of murder after a jury-waived trial and later sentenced him to 45 years in prison.

Sources

Each location also lists its own sources in the data file.