Maine Man Sentenced To Life After Ambush Killing; Children Witnessed Parents’ Deaths

A Maine man has been sentenced to two life terms plus an additional 50 years after prosecutors say he ambushed and fatally shot a couple as their young children watched from a parked car.

Case Details and Sentencing

Twenty-six-year-old Marcel LaGrange pleaded guilty in September to six charges related to the June 2023 attack in downtown Westbrook, Maine, including two counts of murder, attempted murder, making a threat with a dangerous weapon and reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon. At a sentencing hearing last week in Cumberland County, Superior Court Justice Deborah Cashman imposed two life sentences and a consecutive 50-year term for the attempted murder of a child.

What Prosecutors Say Motivated The Attack

State prosecutor Jennifer Ackerman told the court that LaGrange had been romantically rebuffed by a woman and had warned others that "multiple people would die because of what she was doing." Prosecutors say LaGrange then waited in ambush and randomly targeted the victims, identified as Brittney Cockrell and Michael Hayter.

Children Were Present

The couple's two young children, ages 7 and 11, were in a parked car and witnessed the shooting. Ackerman described how "Mason and Mattie Hayter were present in the car when their father was executed in the front seat" and said the children saw their mother chased by the defendant with a gun. A letter from the younger child, read in court by the children's grandfather Jeff McKinney, recalled the child ducking as shots rang out: "I just made myself as low as possible. It was just enough time so Mattie and I could duck."

Apology, Remorse And Family Impact

LaGrange's attorney and LaGrange himself said he expressed remorse at the hearing. The defendant told the court he "was not in my right mind that day," that he had been struggling with mental-health issues and substance abuse, and that he had not been receiving necessary treatment. Family members delivered emotional victim impact statements, including the couple’s eldest daughter, Cadence Cockrell, who told the judge: "He killed my parents. And I hope he gets the two life sentences he deserves."

Grandfather's Reaction: "We'll never see our daughter or son-in-law again, so it's bittersweet," McKinney told the court, saying the sentence was the correct decision even as the family copes with their loss.

The killings and the children’s ordeal drew coverage from several local outlets following the June 2023 attack and the subsequent court proceedings. With the guilty plea and the sentence now imposed, LaGrange will serve the remainder of his life in prison without the prospect of release for the imposed terms.