Maine murder suspect surrenders after two-month manhunt

[August 12, 2015]  (Reuters) - A man wanted over the shooting death of a former girlfriend surrendered to police in Maine on Tuesday, after a two-month manhunt, one of the longest in the state's history, officials and media said.

Robert Burton gave himself up following his disappearance after the June 5 killing, having eluded capture for about nine weeks while living in the woods in Piscataquis County, in central Maine, county officials and the Bangor Daily News said.

"Robert Burton is in custody at the Piscataquis County Jail after turning himself in," the sheriff said in a statement on social media, without giving details of the surrender.

Burton is being held at the county jail awaiting a first court hearing. He has not yet been indicted by a grand jury, the Bangor Daily News said, adding that Burton had walked into the sheriff's building and declared he was there to surrender.

It was not immediately clear if Burton had chosen a lawyer or would seek a public defender. Reuters could not immediately locate family members' contact details to seek comment.

It was unclear whether Burton would face additional charges for evading authorities.

If convicted of murder, he faces between 25 years and life in prison, the Bangor Daily News said.

Tracking dogs and electronic road sign warnings were used in the extensive manhunt for Burton, the newspaper said. In July, state police said he was suspected of hiding in the woods and stealing provisions from nearby campsites.

The Maine Department of Public Safety said teams from the Maine State Police and the FBI also joined the search, which officials have called one of the longest in decades.

Police have accused Burton of murdering his ex-girlfriend, Stephanie Ginn Gebo, who was shot dead in her home in early June while her two children slept nearby, police and media have said.

Ginn Gebo had broken up with Burton the week before she was found dead, the newspaper quoted her family as saying.

(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere in Los Angeles; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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