Murder by the Book: The Amy St. Laurent Case

Amy St. Laurent

After the breakup, Amy decided to pursue a dream. She was an attractive womanfit yet curvy, 5-foot-5 and 120 pounds, with full lips, a mane of strawberry blonde hair and glistening blue eyes. She had daydreamed about modeling, and she now decided to do something about it, spending hundreds of dollars to have photos taken by Stewart Smith Photography in Portland. These were not shopping mall Glamour Shots; they were professional-quality. In one, she seductively stares down the camera while standing in a dark dress amid a flower garden. The shot could have come from a magazine.

After Sparrow, St. Laurent decided to pursue another possibility, as well. She had long fancied a high school classmate named Jason Kolias. They had worked together at Dunkin' Donuts, but their lives went separate directions after graduation. Kolias moved to Florida, married and had a son. St. Laurent learned that his wife had died, and she planned a visit to Ft. Myers to renew their friendship. The trip took place in late September 2001, two weeks after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

During her visit, Kolias introduced Amy to her neighbor, Eric Rubright, 27, a motorcycle enthusiast and former rugby player. He gave her a ride on his bike, and they sat at the beach together on Sanibel Island. Rubright was captivated by the engaging New Englander.

She apparently did not return his enthusiasm. She wasn't willing to commit to a new steady man mere months after her long relationship with Sparrow had ended, let alone to one who lived 1,500 miles away.

Yet within days of her return to Maine, Rubright was calling and emailing her, asking whether he could visit. She reluctantly agreed, and he arrived in Portland on Thursday, Oct. 18.

If Rubright arrived with any ideas about romance, he was disabused of them when he learned of the sleeping arrangements at St. Laurent's place in South Berwick. He was assigned to the spare bedroom. As insurance against late-night hanky-panky, Amy's ex, Richard Sparrow, slept on the sofa.