Days after his mother picked him up from prison, the man confessed to killing his parents and their two companions and injuring three drivers on a Maine highway. He was given a life sentence.
This week, Joseph Eaton, 35, was informed of the fate of his parents, Cynthia Eaton, 62, and David Eaton, 66, as well as their friends, Patricia Eger, 62, and Robert Eger, 72, who passed away in April 2023 in a residence in Bowdoin, Maine, close to Portland.
After entering a guilty plea to four counts of murder and one count of aggravated attempted murder, he was sentenced. The family of the victims discussed the long-lasting impact the violence had on their lives.
According to Kristina DeRaps, who is married to Patricia Eger’s nephew, “he killed the only four people in this world who actually loved and cared for him,” as reported by The Associated Press. Eaton was dubbed “a selfish little boy” by DeRaps.
With an apology, the defendant said, “I wake up every day regretting what I did.”
“A life sentence is what I deserve, and honestly, think I deserve worse,” he continued, according to local ABC affiliate WMTW.
Despite the violence, Eaton’s defense attorney, Andrew Wright, said he is perplexed by his client, who called him “a kind and compassionate, emotional and empathetic” man.
“It’s a senseless act that makes no sense to anyone involved,” he stated. “It’s a tragedy.”
On April 18, 2023, in the morning, the case became public. According to an affidavit, Patricia Egers’ sister went to the house on Augusta Road in Bowdoin, Maine, worried that she hadn’t heard from her, discovered one of the victims, and dialed 911.
Authorities reported that deputies discovered the Egers and Cynthia Eaton shot and killed inside the house. In a barn on the land, David Eaton was discovered dead. And there had been a dog slain. A day earlier, the victims had been shot.
Authorities discovered an unsigned letter to no specific person on the kitchen island, which claimed that someone had been abused and that nothing had been done about it.
According to court documents, the writer of the note “wanted a new life” and described someone “being freed of pain.”
The case took a dramatic turn when a 911 report regarding gunfire at several cars on a highway about 20 miles away was received during the investigation of the quadruple killing. Many police agencies’ worth of law enforcement personnel responded.
Officials reported that gunfire struck four automobiles. “Passersby in the wrong place at the wrong time,” as one of the family’s relatives later described the three hospitalized family members in the automobile.
Read Also: Train Tragedy: Woman Killed After Being Pushed into Train by Transient
According to the complaint, Eaton was apprehended close to his parents’ rental car on an interstate exit ramp when a driver noticed him standing in the middle of the road, waving his hands and appearing to have blood on him.
According to court documents, he told detectives that he killed his parents and their friends and that he had shot at passing cars on the highway because he believed that police were pursuing him.
A few days prior to the crimes, on April 14, 2023, Joseph Eaton was freed from Windham Correctional Facility following his incarceration for aggravated assault, according to the police. After dropping him up at the jail, his mother drove him to Bowdoin so he could stay with the Egers.
