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

West Bath, Maine (AP) — A man who confessed to killing his parents and two of their friends and wounding three people in a highway shooting pleaded guilty to murder and other charges on Monday, and a judge sentenced him to the maximum term of life in prison.

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.

Through written testimony read aloud, a woman described the horrific scene of blood and broken glass that confronted her in April 2023 when she found the crime scene where Eaton confessed to the fatal shootings. In a similar written statement, the father of one of three people wounded by bullets that Eaton fired on a highway spoke of his terror that day that his daughter would bleed out in his arms. She ultimately survived. A shooting survivor spoke of discovering 13 bullet holes in her car. Others said they experienced sleepless nights and nightmares as a result of Eaton’s actions.