Current:Home > MarketsMaine man who confessed to killing parents, 2 others will enter pleas to settle case, lawyer says -Wealth Legacy Solutions
Maine man who confessed to killing parents, 2 others will enter pleas to settle case, lawyer says
View
Date:2025-04-18 16:17:53
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! (42)
Related
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- Taylor Swift says Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt's 'All Too Well' cover on 'SNL' was 'everything'
- Banks, Target, schools, what's open and closed on Patriots' Day?
- Mega Millions winning numbers for April 12, with $125 million jackpot at stake
- Average rate on 30
- Taylor Swift's No. 1 songs ranked, including 'Cruel Summer,' 'All Too Well,' 'Anti-Hero'
- Poland's parliament backs easing of abortion laws, among the strictest in Europe
- FBI opens criminal investigation into Baltimore bridge collapse, AP source says
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- French president Emmanuel Macron confident Olympics' opening ceremony will be secure
Ranking
- FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
- Fashion isn’t just for the eyes: Upcoming Met Gala exhibit aims to be a multi-sensory experience
- Guide dog nicknamed Dogfather retires after fathering over 300 puppies
- Pilot using a backpack-style paramotor device dies when small aircraft crashes south of Phoenix
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- Taylor Swift and Teresa Giudice Unite at Coachella for an Epic Photo Right Out of Your Wildest Dreams
- 1 dead, several injured in Honolulu after shuttle bus crashes outside cruise terminal
- Caitlin Clark joins 'Weekend Update' desk during surprise 'Saturday Night Live' appearance
Recommendation
Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
Megan Fox Dishes Out Advice for Single Women on Their Summer Goals
'Horrific': 7-year-old killed, several injured after shooting in Chicago, police say
The key players to know in the Trump hush money trial, set to begin today
Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
Are Americans feeling like they get enough sleep? Dream on, a new Gallup poll says
Sade Robinson case: Milwaukee man Maxwell Anderson charged after human remains found
Look up (with a telescope): 2,000-foot long asteroid to pass by earth Monday