AUGUSTA, Maine — A Waterville man was sentenced to life in prison Thursday at the Capital Judicial Center for the murder of a 92-year-old man on May 20, 2014, according to the Maine attorney general’s office.
Roland Cummings, 46, of Waterville was convicted by a Kennebec County jury in November of murder, burglary and theft, Assistant Attorney General Leane Zainea said after the sentencing.
Jurors found that Cummings broke into the home of Aurele Fecteau of Waterville, stabbed him to death in his bed, then stole items from his home, Zainea said.
The defendant knew the victim and had done household chores for Fecteau in the past, Maine State Police said when Cummings was arrested in June 2014.
He has been held without bail since then, according to a previously published report.
Zainea said Thursday that she recommended Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy impose a 55-year sentence. The defense team of Darrick Banda and Ronald Bourget, both of Augusta, urged the judge to sentence Cummings to 30 years, the prosecutor said.
“Justice Murphy found a sentence of life was justified,” Zainea said. “She found a factor to be extreme cruelty and that the murder was for pecuniary gain.”
The victim’s family and friends asked that Cummings spend the rest of his life behind bars, Zainea said.
Cummings did not address the court, the prosecutor said.
He faced between 25 years and life in prison on the murder charge alone.