Governor Janet T. Mills (D) Speaking at a Press Conference on the Demise of Robert Card.

Governor Janet T. Mills (D-Maine) and Attorney General Aaron Frey today formally established the Independent Commission to Investigate the Facts of the Lewiston tragedy last month in which eighteen people died at the hands of suspect Robert Card.

The charge of the Independent Commission, established through an Executive Order signed by the Governor today, is to deterine the facts of the October 25th shootings in Lewiston, including the months preceding the shootings and the police response to them.

The Governor and the Attorney General have appointed seven experts with extensive legal, investigative and mental health backgrounds to serve on the Independent Commission.  These experts include:

The Honorable Daniel E. Wathen, Chair; Former Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court; Dr. Debra Baeder, Ph.D, Former Chief Forensic Psychologist for the State of Maine; George (Toby) Dilworth; Former Assistant US Attorney for the District of Maine and current Managing Director, Drummond Woodsum; The Honorable Ellen Gorman; Former Associate Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court; The Honorable Geoffrey Rushlaw, Former Maine District Court Judge and former District Attorney for Sagadoc, Llincoln, Knox and Waldo Counties; Dr. Antdhony Ng, MD., Board-certified psychiaatrist and Medical Director of Community Services for Northern Light Acadia Hospital; and Paula Silsby, Former US Attorney for the District of Maine.

“Sounds like a Blue Ribbon Commission that the Governor and Attorney General have assembled,” said munjoyhillnews.com.  “I wonder how long it will take it to determine the facts of the case  – weeks or months?  Will the meetings be open to the public?”