MACHIAS, Maine — Richard Widdecombe Jr. of Machias appeared in Washington County Superior Court on Monday afternoon and changed his plea on charges he murdered two people in Marshfield early last year to guilty.
Widdecombe, 27, showed no emotion as he answered the questions of Judge E. Allen Hunter. Hunter said Widdecombe is facing a possible sentence of 25 years to life in prison on the two counts of murder. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 27.
Widdecombe last year confessed to shooting and killing Katie Cabana, 29, and Aaron Settipani, 41, at Cabana’s home in Marshfield during the early morning hours of Jan. 23, 2008, court documents state. In April, Widdecombe entered a plea of not guilty and not criminally responsible by reason of mental de-fect.
Widdecombe’s stepmother, Karen Polley, read an emotional statement to the court describing the man’s past in which he lived in 17 different foster homes and suffered sexual and physical abuse.
The killings, believed to be the first homicides in Washington County since 2001, took place while Ca-bana’s three young children were in the home. Her 6-year-old daughter, Autumn Rodgers, was hit with a gunshot, although her injuries were not life-threatening.
Widdecombe has been in the Washington County Jail for the past year.