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Lisa Marchese, Criminal Division Chief
Lisa Marchese graduated from Bangor High School in 1977. In 1981, she received her BA degree in Political Science from the University of Maine at Orono. In 1986, she received her law degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, New Hampshire. Following graduation, Lisa was hired to work in the Criminal Division of the Attorney General?s office. As a member of the Criminal Division, Lisa taught for many years at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy and handled extradition cases for several governors. She has prosecuted all types of criminal cases from OUI to welfare fraud to sexual assault to murder. For several years, Lisa served as the State?s first Statewide Drug Coordinator for drug prosecution matters.
In 1997, Lisa became one of four statewide homicide prosecutors in the State. In that capacity, she has handled over 100 cases involving murder or manslaughter charges. A substantial number of those cases have been complicated jury trials involving technical forensic evidence such as DNA, ballistics, fingerprints, pathology and state of mind.
Lisa has chaired the Domestic Violence Homicide Review panel for the past decade. This panel, which is legislatively mandated and is comprised of experts from criminal justice and social service agencies, reviews all domestic violence related homicides in search of ways to reduce the number of people who die as a result of domestic abuse. Lisa also currently serves on the Attorney General?s Human Trafficking working group and as the Attorney General?s designee on the Rules of Evidence Advisory Committee.
In 2001, The Maine Child Abuse Action Network awarded Lisa the Professional of the Year Award. In May of 2007, Port City Life, a Maine magazine ran an article entitled ?At Home with Homicide?. In 2010, Lisa was awarded the prestigious Caroline Duby Glassman Award by the Women?s Law Section of the Maine State Bar Association. In 2014, Attorney General Janet Mills promoted Lisa to Deputy Attorney General in charge of the Criminal Division.
