OAKFIELD, Maine — For just a moment during the cold, windy Saturday morning in Oakfield, the sun peeked out from beneath overcast clouds as a large group of walkers made their way to the Oakfield home that Mike Kitchen and Heidi Pratt had once lived in.
Nearly one year ago, on Sept 23, 2013, the two had been slain in their home and a Houlton man was charged with the crime. But Saturday was not about the past. It was about honoring the couple in the future, always.
More than 100 people gathered at Merrill Millstream Park for the inaugural Mike and Heidi Memorial Walk and Ride.
Walkers and motorcycle riders paid a fee to take part in the event, with proceeds going toward a memorial fund in their name. Some of the money raised will pay for goodie bags during the annual “Christmas in the Park” event, which draws nearly 100 children each year.
Ken Bustard, one of the organizers, said that planning for the event was difficult.
“We wanted this to be a healing time, but it’s hard because we still drive past the remnants of the house every day,” he said. The murder suspect, Matthew Davis, 33, is also charged with arson for allegedly setting their home on fire.
“We’ve made it through the first Christmas, the first birthdays. But it’s still hard,” said Bustard. “When we first got together to plan it, we could still hardly talk about what happened. But we just focused on how we could remember them in a positive way.”
At the event, Pratt’s sister, Brenda Hersey, and friend Jerri Crandall, helped dedicate a bench at the park in their honor that was donated by Katahdin Forest Products of Oakfield. Walkers then made their way to the Kitchen and Pratt home and planted flower bulbs, which will blossom in the spring as a sign of renewal and new life, according to Bustard.
Davis was arrested Sept. 23, 2013, and accused of fatally shooting Kitchen, 51, and Pratt, 49, in their home before setting it on fire. Two months later, he was indicted on two counts of murder, four counts of arson, three counts each of theft and aggravated criminal mischief.
According to an affidavit written by Maine State Police Detective Elmer Farren, neighbors of the victims heard gunshots at about 4:30 a.m. Sept. 23 and saw a truck leaving the scene with one male driver. Firefighters called to the home discovered a white pickup truck belonging to Katahdin Forest Products aflame against the residence. One hour later, the Island Falls Fire Department was called to extinguish a fire on Richardson Road in Island Falls, where another pickup truck was found burning with a firearm inside.
Police believe the spree of mayhem started earlier that morning at Katahdin Forest Products in Oakfield, where a flatbed wrecker truck registered to Davis had been backed into the building, and both the truck and office had caught fire. Police said video surveillance from that site shows the same white company truck that was found burning at the Kitchen home leaving the scene.
Following a manhunt, police found Davis at about 10:45 a.m. in a stolen vehicle in Island Falls and arrested him, according to the affidavit.
Davis did not enter a plea when he made his initial court appearance on Sept. 25. He has been held without bail since his arrest and is awaiting trial.
Also during Saturday’s event, six local fire departments that worked to contain the fire at the Kitchen and Pratt home that day were recognized with a plaque.
Although he could not make it in person, Pratt’s son, Paul Suitter, a student at Harvard Law School in Boston, Massachusetts, sent a letter that was read at the dedication ceremony Saturday. He said that he would be doing the 2014 Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk in his mother’s honor Sunday.
Suitter pointed out that no one is immune to gun violence, and cited a statistic from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence that on average 32 Americans are murdered with guns every day.
“Not everyone is fortunate enough to come from as supportive a community as my hometown,” he said.
Suitter pointed out that his mother was always doing something for others, and he urged attendees to find a way to honor her life every day by doing the same.
He added that he had recently found a quote that summed up his mother’s life perfectly, and he had decided to add it to her tombstone — “A life lived for others is a life well lived.”