Maine Man Wanted In Activist Girlfriend's Death Found In Mexico

PORTLAND, ME — A Portland man wanted in connection with the hit-and-run death of his girlfriend at Acadia National Park was apprehended in Mexico this week, according to the U.S. Marshals Office.

Raymond Lester, 35, was arrested late Monday in Cancún, authorities said in a statement. Lester is accused by police of striking and killing 35-year-old Nicole Mokeme with his car.

According to state police, Mokeme was killed sometime between the evening of June 18 and the early morning hours of June 19 while at the Schoodic Education and Research Center campus in Winter Harbor.

RELATED: Maine Man Sought For Killing Activist Girlfriend In Hit-And-Run: Cops

Mokeme, a longtime activist and leader in the local Black community, was at a Juneteenth retreat for Black Mainers when she was killed, the Portland Press Herald reported. Mokeme hosted the event through her organization, Rise and Shine Youth Retreat, which she founded in 2013.

The night before Mokeme's death, a witness said they saw Raymond "driving a newer-style black truck and drinking vodka," according to a separate Press Herald report, which cited a federal affidavit. The witness also said Lester said something like Mokeme “doesn’t like me anymore."

Multiple witnesses also said they saw Lester drinking vodka and driving fast in the hours prior to Mokeme's death, the Press Herald reported.

Authorities issued multiple arrest warrants for Lester after ruling Mokeme's death a homicide.

Investigators in Maine learned Lester had fled the United States and was in Cancun. Mexican and U.S. foreign authorities took Lester without incident.

Lester arrived in Chicago on Wednesday and will be transferred to Maine at a later date.