Joseph Eaton sentenced to life in prison for killing his parents

Lina Portman2 days ago

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Joseph Eaton, who confessed to killing his parents and their two friends before going on a random shooting spree on a Maine highway last year, has been sentenced to life in prison.

A man who confessed to killing his parents and their two friends before going on a random shooting spree on a Maine highway last year pleaded guilty to more than a dozen charges, including murder, and was sentenced to life in prison Monday.

Joseph Eaton, 35, pleaded guilty Monday to intentional or deliberate murder, attempted aggravated murder and additional counts of robbery and animal cruelty in Sagadahoc County Superior Court. Eaton received the maximum sentence on each count, including life in prison for each of the murders.

Authorities said Eaton confessed to killing his parents and two of their friends at a Portland-area home in April 2023. He then fled to Interstate 295 in Yarmouth — a town about 12 miles northeast of Portland — and fired shots at passing vehicles, wounding three members of a local family.

Although authorities have not revealed a motive for the shootings, Eaton and his attorney agree with some family members and friends of the victims who testified that the 35-year-old should be punished to the fullest extent of the law, WGME-TV reported.

“I wake up every day regretting what I did,” Eaton said in court Monday, according to WGME-TV. “I deserve a life sentence and honestly, I think I deserve worse. All I can say is I’m sorry.”

Eaton initially pleaded not guilty and entered an insanity plea in July 2023, but withdrew his plea last December, according to court documents. Eaton told the Portland Press Herald in interviews last year that he was not in control of his actions during the shootings and that he had a history of childhood sexual abuse, mental health issues and drug use.

According to the newspaper, he described experiencing a “psychotic break” before the shootings.

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Four dead, three injured in violent brawl last year

Authorities arrested Eaton on April 18, 2023, hours after the bodies of his parents and their two friends were found in a home in Bowdoin, a small town about 36 miles northeast of Portland.

Police said Eaton confessed to shooting his parents, Cynthia and David Eaton, and their friends, Patricia Eger and her husband, Robert Eger. He also confessed to killing the Egers' dog, which led to the animal cruelty charge against Eaton, according to court documents.

An arrest report for Ms. Eaton said Patricia Eger's sister discovered the victims after seeing blood on the steps of the home. Police said the Egers owned the home and the Eatons were living there at the time of the incident.

“Lisa opened the door and screamed, but no one answered. Lisa said she went into the house and could see broken glass and blood on the floor. She observed a body in the kitchen covered with a towel,” the affidavit states.

Investigators arriving at the scene found an unsigned note that said “someone had been assaulted and nothing had been done about it,” according to the affidavit. The note also said “someone had been freed from pain and the writer of the note wanted a new life.”

Authorities believe the victims were killed on April 17, 2023, and after their bodies were found the next day, Eaton fled in his parents' rental car to a nearby highway in Yarmouth. Eaton said he believed he was chased by police and fired shots at passing vehicles on the highway, injuring three members of one family.

Eaton faced two separate charges because the incidents occurred in different counties, according to court documents.

Joseph Eaton had a criminal history

Eaton had been released from a Maine prison days before the shooting, according to court documents. He had served about two years for assault, USA TODAY reported.

Under Maine law, Eaton was not allowed to own firearms because of his prior convictions. Court documents showed that Eaton was accused of stealing firearms from his mother and Robert Eger.

The Bangor Daily News reported last year that Eaton's parents asked authorities in 2017 to release him to their custody to serve probation for a crime committed in Maine. At the time, the Eatons were living in Florida.

But in 2018, Eaton was arrested by Florida authorities following a violent incident at a relative's home, the newspaper reported. He later spent three years in a Florida prison before being sent back to Maine.

Contributing by Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY

Joseph Eaton, who confessed to killing his parents and their two friends before going on a random shooting spree on a Maine highway last year, has been sentenced to life in prison.

Four dead, three injured in violent brawl last year

Joseph Eaton had a criminal history

Lina Portman

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