Current:Home > InvestMaine man who confessed to killing parents, 2 others will enter pleas to settle case, lawyer says -PrimeFinance
Maine man who confessed to killing parents, 2 others will enter pleas to settle case, lawyer says
View
Date:2025-04-16 01:57:26
WEST BATH, Maine (AP) — A man who confessed to killing both his parents and two of their friends before shooting at motorists on a highway plans to enter pleas Monday that will resolve his criminal case, his lawyer said.
Joseph Eaton withdrew his insanity defense late last year and his defense attorney told The Associated Press that they anticipate “resolving” the indictments for four counts of murder and other charges during a change-of-plea hearing.
Prosecutors declined comment on any plea agreement ahead of the court hearing.
Law enforcement officials say Eaton confessed to the killings on a property in rural Bowdoin, and to wounding three more people while shooting at vehicles on Interstate 295 in Yarmouth. The shootings came days after Eaton was released from prison for unrelated crimes. Eaton has been jailed again since his arrest in April 2023 near the tumultuous scene along the highway, where traffic came to a halt as heavily armed police searched for the gunman.
Those killed were Eaton’s parents, Cynthia Eaton, 62, and David Eaton, 66, along with longtime friends Robert Eger, 72, and Patti Eger, 62, the couple who owned the Bowdoin home where they all were staying. Also killed was the family dog, resulting in an animal cruelty charge.
Soon after the bodies were discovered on April 18, 2023, three people were injured when shots were fired wildly on I-295 in Yarmouth, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) outside Portland, Maine’s biggest city. Eaton faced separate indictments because the two shootings at the Bowdoin home and on the highway happened in different counties.
Maine Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck called the shootings “an attack on the soul of our state.” But the heavy toll of the crime was surpassed months later when an Army reservist, who also lived in Bowdoin, killed 18 people at two locations in Lewiston, in what would become the state’s deadliest mass shooting.
Police still don’t know Eaton’s motive for the slayings.
An unsigned note found at the scene of the killings mentioned “someone being freed of pain and that the writer of the note wanted a new life,” according to a criminal 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 didn’t understand why he did it.
Eaton, 35, had a criminal history in Maine, Kansas and Florida, and had just completed a prison stint in Maine triggered by an aggravated assault case. Eaton’s parents were staying with their friends in Bowdoin after Cynthia Eaton picked up Joseph Eaton at a Maine prison on April 14.
veryGood! (86995)
Related
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Watch: Young fan beams after getting Jose Altuve's home run bat
- 'I will be annoyed by his squeaky voice': Drew Bledsoe on Tom Brady's broadcasting debut
- An attack at a festival in a German city kills 3 people and wounds 4 seriously, police say
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- Dump truck leaves hole in covered bridge when it crashes into river in Maine
- Polaris Dawn mission: Launch of commercial crew delayed 24 hours, SpaceX says
- Ronda Rousey's apology for sharing Sandy Hook conspiracy overdue but still timely
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- Anesthesiologist with ‘chloroform fetish’ admits to drugging, sexually abusing family’s nanny
Ranking
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- Here's What Judge Mathis' Estranged Wife Linda Is Seeking in Their Divorce
- What's the value of a pet prenup agreement? This married couple has thoughts
- Rate cuts on horizon: Jerome Powell says 'time has come' to lower interest rates
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- Dennis Quaid doesn't think a 'Parent Trap' revival is possible without Natasha Richardson
- North Carolina’s highest court won’t fast-track appeals in governor’s lawsuits
- NFL suspends Rams' Alaric Jackson, Cardinals' Zay Jones for violating conduct policy
Recommendation
'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
Pickle pizza and deep-fried Twinkies: See the best state fair foods around the US
Rapper Enchanting's Cause of Death Revealed
Florida State vs Georgia Tech score today: Live updates, highlights from Week 0 game
What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
Kansas judge throws out machine gun possession charge, cites Second Amendment
Prominent civil rights lawyer represents slain US airman’s family. A look at Ben Crump’s past cases
Where is College GameDay this week? Location, what to know for ESPN show on Week 0