Julie Bullard had purchased the building, which had been converted into a B&B after moving to Maine two years ago. She had operated a bed and breakfast in San Francisco that she sold prior to coming to the Newry. "Her daughter, Selby, had just lost her husband in a car crash and I think in some ways she and Selby were....getting a fresh start," said Robin Zinchuk, of the local Chamber of Commerce. Julie decided in February to close the Black Bear, Zinchuk said, and there was a "For Sale" sign out front. And Selby Bullard had a 12-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son. She had recently been working part-time with a real estate firm in nearby Bethel. The phone rang unanswered Tuesday at the Inn.

As news spread, people in the community were shocked. Newry is near Maine's border with NH. The slayings unsettled people in the pastoral towns near the Sunday River resort, about 80 miles northwest of Portland. The days between Labor Day and the start of the foliage season are typically a quiet stretch when tourists canoe, fish and play golf at Sunday River. "The whole thing is surreal.. a shock to this small community," said Nancy White, co-owner of the Sudbury Inn, where Nielsen worked. White described him as a reliable employee, a good cook and "soft-spoken, quiet individual. He had a history of driving offenses that included an arrest for drunken driving, but nothing more serious. His license had been revoked a year ago. Authorities declined to discuss a motive for the killings.

Sadly, Julie Bullard has four biological children, four stepchildren, 20 grandchildren and “not a single enemy.” “She was just an amazing woman,” said a daughter. “Loving and gracious.” Diane Whitehurst-Taylor said of her brother James: “Oh my God did he love his kids, he would do anything for them. I want to know why, just why, why, why did this have to happen to my brother?” she said through sobs.

Nielsen was ordered held without bail. He appeared in court Tuesday wearing an orange jumpsuit. He uttered only two words in court: "I am," when the judge asked if he was present. He appeared calm and was smiling as he was brought into and left the courtroom. As he read about the happenings in a newspaper the next day, he seemed to enjoy his notoriety even laughing at times. Maine is a state known for its low crime rate, so the killings came as a brutal shock.