WOOD Continued from Page 1A accused of pushing Amy Gaines off the Cousins Island Bridge in Yarmouth in August 1998. That case is still active. Wood's lawyer, Joseph Wrobleski Jr., has maintained all along that his client is innocent. "The case was fatally flawed from the start," he said. York County sheriff's deputies were called to the scene on Route 202, near the Water town line, just after p.m. on April 20, 1999. They found the body of Selek, who was 41, lying on the shoulder of the road, a few yards from the mobile home she shared with Wood. Police records indicated a history of violence in the relationship. Both Selek and Wood had filed assault claims against each other in the past. Wood had a scheduled court date for a domestic violence complaint in which Selek was the alleged victim. The morning after Selek's death, neither Wood nor his van were at the home. Deputies found Wood and the van at the Alfred furniture refinishing company where he worked. There was damage to the front of the vehicle and what appeared to be fresh blood and hair on the mud flaps. The deputies arrested Wood, taking him into custody unrelated on an to outstand- Selek's ing warrant death. They then interrogated Wood, who told them inconsistent stories about where he was during the night. Six hours later, Maine State Police Detectives Lance McLeish and Scott Harakles arrived and continued the questioning of Wood. The detectives removed a table that Wood was sitting behind and pulled their chairs ( close to his. They raised their voices and leaned closer to him. They told Wood they had found Selek's hair on the van, and that they were sure the van was the vehicle that killed her. Wood, a diabetic who had not had anything to eat or drink since his arrest that morning, cowered and whimpered and said he did not remember anything about Selek's death. Finally he said: "... You're telling me - OK, evidence is telling me that I did it. OK? That apparently I have to accept." The interrogation ended. Last month, Justice Robert E. Crowley ruled that the statements were not given freely, and were the result of improper and coercive police tactics. When it comes to protecting a defendant's rights during questioning, Gauvreau said, interrogators must meet a higher standard in Maine than those set by federal law. In Maine it is not enough for a defendant to be informed of his rights, but he also must make all of his statements intentionally. Gauvreau said Crowley's ruling in the Wood case would be used to train detectives to avoid similar mistakes in the future. Wrobleski said the police assumed too much when they began questioning Wood. "I think they jumped the gun on my client," he said. "They assumed that because there was domestic disturbances in the past that he had done it." No other evidence pointed to Wood, Wrobleski said. Neighbors who heard the crash reported seeing a darkcolored truck or sport utility vehicle with a broken headlight speeding away. Wood's van did not match the description. Detectives also found broken automotive plastic near Selek's body that did not come from the van. A state police analysis of the blood found on the van concluded that it was not Selek's and the hair probably came from an animal. The physical evidence should have led police away from Wood, his lawyer said. "It all pointed to an unfortunate motor vehicle accident," Wrobleski said. "They just read too much into the fact that he wasn't home that morning. Wood has been held without bail at the York County Jail since his arrest. He is expected to be released today. Staff Writer Gregory Kesich can be contacted at 7282-8227 or at: gkesich@pressherald.com