Jerry Perdomo Murder Suspect Appears In Maine Court

March 2, 2012— -- Daniel Porter, the man accused of killing a Florida firefighter in a drug money dispute, made his first court appearance today and claimed he acted in self defense.

"Mr. Perdomo made threats both verbal and with the firearm to Mr. Porter which caused him fear that Mr. Perdomo was going to carry out those threats against him or others," Porter's attorney, Jeff Silverstein, told ABCNews.com. "Mr. Porter felt compelled to act in the way that he did as a result of that conduct."

Porter was denied bond and was not asked to enter a plea today in Maine's Waldo County Superior Court.

Perdomo's body was recovered from a wooded area in Maine Wednesday, one day after Porter was arrested.

The two men had disputes in the past, according to a police affidavit. Perdomo, who was last seen on Feb. 16, was meeting with Porter to collect on a $3,000 drug debt.

Silverstein said his client acted in self defense because he believed Perdomo would hurt him or others.

"There is much to be learned. There are a lot of facts that have to be discovered or haven't been disclosed," Silverstein said.

A Maine game warden and his dog found Perdomo's body at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday on land owned by suspect Daniel Porter's relatives, state police said.

Maine State Police, assisted by Bangor Police, arrested Porter Tuesday at a home in Jackson, Maine, that was rented by Porter's father, according to a news release by the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Porter, 24, and his girlfriend, Cheyanne Nowak, are believed to be the last people who saw Perdomo, a husband and father of two who went missing 15 days ago shortly after he traveled in a rental car up the East Coast to visit a friend.

Police had been testing evidence removed Saturday from the house in Jackson, believed to be the last place Perdomo was seen, according to the Department of Public Safety.