Guilty Plea and Life Sentence in Maine Quadruple Murder and Highway ShootingGuilty Plea and Life Sentence in Maine Quadruple Murder and Highway Shooting West Bath, Maine – Joseph Eaton, 35, has pleaded guilty to murder and other charges in connection with the killing of his parents and two of their friends, as well as the wounding of three others in a highway shooting in Maine last year. The judge sentenced him to the maximum sentence of life in prison. Eaton confessed to the crimes but has offered no explanation to the police, the victims’ families, or the court. In written testimonies read aloud, victims’ loved ones described the horrific scenes they witnessed and the lasting trauma they endure. Despite his actions, Eaton expressed remorse and acknowledged that he deserved worse than life in prison. However, he stated that he could not comprehend why he committed the crimes. Law enforcement officials believe Eaton shot and killed his parents, Patricia Eger, and her husband, Robert Eger, at their home in Bowdoin. He later opened fire on vehicles on Interstate 295 in Yarmouth, injuring three. An unsigned letter found at the murder scene suggested that Eaton was seeking freedom from pain and a new life. Defense attorney Andrew Wright said that Eaton chose to plead guilty to take responsibility and bring closure to the victims and their families. Wright described Eaton as a compassionate and empathetic man, despite his violent actions. He said it was difficult to reconcile the two sides of Eaton. Eaton has a criminal history in Florida and Kansas.
DAVID SHARP, Associated Press
4 minutes ago
FILE – Friends of shooting victim Patricia Eger gather at a Christian organization where she volunteered in Lisbon Falls, Maine, Thursday, April 20, 2023. Joseph Eaton, accused of killing four people, including Eger, and wounding three others, is due in court Monday, July 1, 2024, for a plea hearing that his attorney says will resolve all of his criminal charges. (AP Photo/Patrick Whittle, File)
WEST BATH, Maine (AP) — A man who confessed to killing his parents and two of their friends and wounding three people in a highway shooting pleaded guilty Monday to murder and other charges. A judge sentenced him to the maximum sentence of life in prison.
Joseph Eaton has never given an explanation to police for the violent crimes he committed in Maine last year. Nor has he given an explanation to the families and friends of the victims who told their stories in court.
In a written testimony read aloud, one woman described the horrific scene of blood and broken glass she was confronted with in April 2023 when she found the crime scene where Eaton confessed to the fatal shooting. In a similar written statement, the father of one of the three people wounded by bullets Eaton fired on a highway spoke of his fear that day that his daughter would bleed to death in his arms. She ultimately survived. One shooting survivor said she discovered 13 bullet holes in her car. Others said they suffered sleepless nights and nightmares as a result of Eaton’s actions.
“He killed the only four people in this world who truly loved him and cared about him,” said a distraught Kristina DeRaps, who is married to a cousin of one of the victims, Patti Eger. DeRaps called Eaton “a selfish little boy.”
Eaton looked at the defense table during much of the testimony. When he spoke, he said he still couldn’t believe what he had done. “I wake up every day regretting what I did,” he said. Of his life sentence, he added: “I really think I deserve worse. All I can say is, I’m sorry.”
Law enforcement officials say Eaton, now 35, has confessed to fatally shooting his parents, Eger, and Eger’s husband at the Egers’ home in the rural town of Bowdoin. He also has confessed to shooting at vehicles on Interstate 295 in Yarmouth. The crimes occurred days after Eaton was released from a Maine prison for unrelated crimes. He has been in jail since his last arrest.
The dead were David Eaton, 66; Eger and Cynthia Eaton, both 62; and Robert Eger, 72. Cynthia Eaton had picked up her son on April 14, when he was released from jail. Eger’s dog was also killed, leading authorities to add animal cruelty to the list of charges against Joseph Eaton.
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 (20 kilometers) outside Portland, Maine’s largest city. Eaton faced separate charges because the attacks at Bowdoin’s home and on the interstate occurred in different counties.
At the time, Maine Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck called the shooting “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 in what would become the state’s deadliest mass shooting.
An unsigned letter found at the scene of the murder spoke of “someone being freed from pain and that the writer of the letter wanted a new life,” according to a criminal affidavit. Eaton told the Portland Press Herald newspaper in jailhouse interviews that he had no control over his actions at the time of the shooting and did not understand why he did it.
All told, Eaton pleaded guilty Monday to more than a dozen charges, including four counts of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder. He received the maximum sentence for each.
Defence lawyer Andrew Wright said Eaton chose to plead guilty to take responsibility for his actions because he believed it was the “reasonable and moral” thing to do and bring the case to an end.
Outside court, Wright said he struggles to understand Eaton, who, despite committing such violent crimes, also struck him as “a kind, compassionate, emotional and empathetic” man during their personal interactions.
“It’s a senseless act, it’s senseless for nobody involved,” he said. “It’s a tragedy.”
Authorities say Eaton also has a criminal history in Florida and Kansas.
