ME - 4 dead in Bowdoin, others injured in connected shooting on interstate 1 suspect in custody, a second possibly on the loose, April 18th, 2023

[LadyL]

these types always have excuses - humans let him down - well what did the dog do to him?

 

[everybodhi]

these types always have excuses - humans let him down - well what did the dog do to him?

I wish for a cop to say exactly all this to him during interrogation.

 

[everybodhi]

Oh man. This guy has charges going back to his youth, continuing all these years.
A “stay at home dad”, he beat his wives, step kid, tore up a house with a baseball bat, harassment, burglary, robbery, theft.
Kansas, Florida, Maine, heroin, meth, bipolar diagnosis, court mandated counseling, it goes on and on. In prison then out, in rehab then out, repeat. Always with family and friends support, vouching in court to his progress, trying to help him “reintegrate back into society”.
But, “Probationer Eaton is likely to reoffend.”
They didn’t know what was going to happen. Good days and bad days. No one wants to think that one day the son they love could commit mass murder of family, friends, and strangers.
It’s so sad, they tried so hard to help him, all of his life. They underestimated what he was capable of. If only he hadn’t had access to those guns.

Joseph Eaton’s history of violence dates to his youth

In 2013, Eaton hoped to serve out his probation at his parents’ home in Florida. While he was granted probation, he was unable to move in with his parents because his father, David Eaton, refused to give up his firearms. Federal law prohibits a convicted felon from living in a home with a gun.

In January 2018, deputies responded to a call from his aunt, Kimberly Castejon, who said Eaton was “having a mental breakdown” and had a gun. She told police she believed he was going to shoot himself or others.

The Egers, longtime family friends who lived in Bowdoin, were among those who vouched for Eaton.

“He’s becoming a fine young man,” Patti Eger wrote. “He’s doing his best to stay on the straight-and-narrow, and I see changes in him that will benefit him long term.”

 

[everybodhi]

What a piece of work. He even assaulted a first responder… but the “aggravated” assault means he used a weapon, was it a gun back then, too?

No. Baseball bat.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

An arrest affidavit for Joseph Eaton said Patricia Eagan's sister saw blood on the front steps and entered the home.

“Lisa opened the door and yelled but no one answered. Lisa said she entered the home and could see broken glass and blood on the floor. She observed a body in the area of the kitchen covered by a towel,” the affidavit says.

She said she also saw several firearms lying about the house and saw drag marks. She left the home to call police, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit said crime scene investigators found a note that said, “someone had been molested and that there was nothing done about it. The note mentioned someone being freed of pain and that the writer of the note wanted a new life. The note was not written to anyone nor was it signed by anyone.”

Maine mass shooting suspect charged with killing parents and friends in violent rampage

The shooter, Joseph Eaton, faces four murder charges, with more charges pending, and among those dead are his parents and their friends.

www.usatoday.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

 

[CocoChanel]

This is a devastating tragedy on so many levels.
This man had signs of something off for many years.
I wonder if he has ever been treated for mental health disorders.
And if so, I wonder if he was able to access that help while in prison?
His video does not appear to be him ‘acting ‘, it looked like genuine pain & agony IMHO.
He also mentions his kids in the video.
Suspect in Maine massacre asked for forgiveness on Facebook
The trauma just keeps perpetuating.
Bless those children. They need mental health support too.

I think his family was well aware of his struggles, and I might guess they tried their best to get it for him. But with society being unwilling to support mental health services for the general public, let alone the incarcerated, the results probably look something like this.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

This is a devastating tragedy on so many levels.
This man had signs of something off for many years.
I wonder if he has ever been treated for mental health disorders.
And if so, I wonder if he was able to access that help while in prison?
His video does not appear to be him ‘acting ‘, it looked like genuine pain & agony IMHO.
He also mentions his kids in the video.
Suspect in Maine massacre asked for forgiveness on Facebook
The trauma just keeps perpetuating.
Bless those children. They need mental health support too.

I think his family was well aware of his struggles, and I might guess they tried their best to get it for him. But with society being unwilling to support mental health services for the general public, let alone the incarcerated, the results probably look something like this.

Such an unbelievable case.... We are just seeing so many gun violence cases of "seemingly normal" people taking up guns and killing people.

But this guy! Such a history. His time in Florida is in my County, and I vaguely remember it, because we do hear about cases of violence...not just cases of death, like major cities.

BUT I still have not seen or heard where he got the guns.
Does anyone have that answer yet....

 

[ifindedout]

Sentenced to life

Man who confessed to killing 4 people in Maine, including his parents, sentenced to life in prison

A man who confessed to killing his parents and two of their friends and wounding three people in a highway shooting has been sentenced to life in prison

www.audacy.com

Joseph Eaton never provided a reason to law enforcement officials for the violent crimes he admitted committing in Maine last year, and he had no explanation for the victims' families and friends who spoke in court.

[...]

Eaton looked down at the defense table during much of the testimony. When he spoke, he said he was still in disbelief over his actions. “I wake up every day regretting 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.”

Law enforcement officials say Eaton, now 35, confessed to fatally shooting his parents, David Eaton, 66, and Cynthia Eaton, 62; Eger, 62; and Eger's husband, Robert Eger, 72. Also killed was the Egers’ dog, which led authorities to add animal cruelty to the list of charges 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.