Global Courant 2023-04-20 02:26:12
A Maine man shot and killed his parents and two of their friends Tuesday morning, just days after his mother picked him up from jail, police officials said.
Joseph Eaton, 34, reportedly opened fire on a highway later that day, injuring three people. He was subsequently taken into custody without incident and confessed to the shootings, police said.
His mother, 62-year-old Cynthia Eaton, picked him up Friday from the Maine Correctional Center in Windham after he served a sentence for aggravated assault.
Police have not released information on Eaton’s whereabouts between Friday and Tuesday morning, when a family member discovered the bodies of his parents and their two friends shot to death at a home in Bowdoin, about 30 miles northeast of Portland.
Cynthia Eaton, her husband David Eaton, 66, and two of their friends, Robert Eger, 72, and Patricia Eger, 62, were pronounced dead at the scene. Three of the victims were inside the house, while one victim was found outside near a shed.
In addition to serving eight months in prison for aggravated assault, Eaton was also convicted of domestic violence, assault and operating under the influence of intoxicants in Maine, as well as illegal gun possession in Florida, according to the Bangor Daily News.
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Eaton posted on Facebook Friday morning that “it’s finally over,” writing that there are “so many people” he can’t wait to see. His messages took a dark turn days later.
“Life as a whole is suffering. You work for the duration, you get sick, people you love die, and you’re guaranteed to have ‘bad days,'” Eaton wrote Sunday night. “Life is a trial for what is to come.”
A police officer stands at the corner of Portland Street and Main Street in Yarmouth, Maine on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. (Michael Leonard via AP)
He posted a video Monday afternoon of appearing to try and tag his mom in it, writing “thank you for never giving up on me.”
“A lot of people look at you and think, ‘Oh, well, there’s just one more, you know, f—up,'” Eaton said in the video as he cried. “And then they turn around and claim to be Christian. You can’t forgive someone or understand what they’re going through. You can’t give someone a second chance.”
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After the Bowdoin shooting, Eaton opened fire on a highway about 25 miles south of Yarmouth, believing he was being followed by police, officials said. Three people — Sean Halsey, 51, Justin Halsey, 29, and Paige Halsey, 25 — were injured in that shooting. Paige was still in critical condition on Wednesday.
“When you have a series of events like yesterday, I consider that an attack on the very soul of our state. And it’s a shock to everyone. It’s a shock to people who have been in this system for decades, myself included.” Maine Department of Public Safety commissioner Michael Sauschuck said at a news conference Wednesday.
Paul Best is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to Paul.Best@fox.com and on Twitter: @KincaidBest.
