Man who confessed to murdering four people in Maine, including his parents, sentenced to life in prison

WEST BATH, Maine (AP) — A man who confessed to killing his parents and two of her friends and for wounding three people in a shootout on a highway pleaded guilty to murder and other charges on Monday and was sentenced by a judge to the maximum penalty of life in prison.

Joseph Eaton never gave law enforcement a reason for the violent crimes he confessed to committing in Maine last year, nor did he provide an explanation for the families and friends of the victims who testified in court.

In a written statement read aloud, a woman described the horrific sight of blood and broken glass that greeted her in April 2023 when she found one of Eaton’s victims’ bodies. In a similar written statement, the father of one of the three injured of bullets fired by Eaton on a highway spoke of his fear that day that his daughter would bleed to death in his arms. She ultimately survived. Evangeline Kensell said she drove to see her mother, who suffered a stroke when her car was hit by 13 bullets. Others said they experienced sleepless nights and nightmares as a result of Eaton’s actions.

“He killed the only four people in the world who truly loved him and cared about him,” said a distraught Kristina DeRaps, who is married to the nephew of one of the victims, Patti Eger. DeRaps called Eaton “a selfish little boy.”

Eaton looked at the defense table for much of his testimony. As he spoke, he said he still couldn’t believe his actions. “I wake up every day and regret what I did,” he said. Of his life sentence, he added, “I honestly think I deserve worse. All I can say is: I’m sorry.”

According to police officials, Eaton, now 35, confessed to shooting his parents, David Eaton (66) and Cynthia Eaton (62), Eger (62) and Eger’s husband, Robert Eger (72). The Egers’ dog was also killed, prompting authorities to add animal cruelty to the charge against Joseph Eaton. The shootings took place at the Egers’ home in the rural town of Bowdoin. Eaton also confessed to shooting at vehicles on Interstate 295 in Yarmouth.

The crimes occurred days after Eaton was released from a Maine prison on April 14 on charges related to other crimes. Cynthia Eaton picked him up.

Authorities believe Eaton fired the fatal shots on April 17, 2023. The victims’ bodies were found the next morning, the same day authorities say he shot at cars on I-295 in Yarmouth, about 12 miles outside of Portland, Maine’s largest city. Eaton faces two separate charges because the attacks at the Bowdoins’ home and on the highway occurred in different counties.

At the time, Maine State Commissioner of Public Safety Michael Sauschuck called the shootings an “attack on the soul of our state.” Months later, an Army reservist living in Bowdoin killed 18 people at two locations in the city of Lewiston. It was the state’s worst mass shooting.

An unsigned note found at the scene of Eaton’s murders spoke of “someone being released from their pain and that the writer of the note wanted a new life,” according to an affidavit. Eaton told the Portland Press Herald newspaper in jailhouse interviews that he was not in control of his actions at the time of the shootings and did not know why he did them.

In total, Eaton pleaded guilty on Monday to more than a dozen charges, including four counts of murder and aggravated attempted murder, and received the maximum sentence for each of those counts.

Defense attorney Andrew Wright said Eaton chose to plead guilty to accept responsibility for his actions because he believed it was the “reasonable and moral” way to bring the case to a close.

Outside the courthouse, Wright said he had a hard time understanding Eaton, saying that despite committing such brutal crimes, in their personal interactions he appeared to be a “kind, compassionate, emotional and empathetic” man.

“It’s a senseless act that makes no sense to anyone involved,” he said. “It’s a tragedy.”

According to authorities, Eaton also has a criminal past in Florida and Kansas.