ALFRED, Maine — Judge John O’Neil sentenced Derek Poulin to life in prison for the brutal murder of his grandmother and 30 years for arson for setting her house on fire and trying to cover up the crime.
Poulin showed no remorse for the crime he committed. His parents testified that Poulin was a good son with lots of friends. The prosecutor said he committed one of the most savage crimes she’s ever seen.
In October 2012, Poulin used three different weapons to kill his grandmother Patty Noel in her own home in Old Orchard Beach. She was alive for much of the attack.
Poulin killed Noel because she told him she wanted him to move out because she was tired of the freeloading and abuse he was dishing out.
“This was a very vicious, brutal attack on Patty Noel by her grandson. There were multiple skull fractures as a result of being hit by a golf club and a wrench. She was stabbed 72 times,” Assistant Attorney General Leane Zainea said.
“It’s just a life sentence. It’s forever. I’m never going to see my son again. He’s never going to be free. I just think there’s a lot more to this than has been told,” said Reggie Poulin, Derek Poulin’s father.
“It was very hard to hear things that everybody was saying. But I’m grateful for what the judge did. And now I think my mom can rest in peace and our family can move forward,” said Darcy Daniels, the victim’s daughter.
O’Neil said if Poulin showed any remorse, the sentence might have been different. But in the days after the crime, he said, Poulin was only concerned about where he was going to live.
Barring any appeal, Poulin will spend the rest of his life behind bars.