ALFRED, Maine — The Biddeford landlord accused of killing his teenage tenants is expected to change his plea to guilty Wednesday.
It’s taken three years of legal proceedings and mental health evaluations for accused killer James Pak to be found competent to stand trial. But with just two weeks until jury selection is set to begin, his defense attorney said Pak is pleading guilty to spare everyone from a trial.
Attorney Joel Vincent said this isn’t the result of any type of plea deal, but after reviewing the evidence and being found competent, his 77-year-old client reached the decision on his own and knows any sentence will send him to prison for the rest of his life.
Pak is charged with murder for the deaths of 19-year-old Derrick Thompson and his girlfriend, 18-year-old Alivia Welch.
According to court documents, Pak shot the teens and Thompson’s mother, Sue Johnson, inside the Biddeford apartment they rented from him. It happened in December 2012 after a dispute over parking.
Johnson survived and called 911, telling a dispatcher she was hiding behind a Christmas tree with a bullet in her back.
Pak initially pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. In November 2015, a judge found him competent, saying despite limited cognitive abilities and difficulties with English language and memory, Pak has demonstrated the ability to understand the criminal justice system and the charges against him.
Johnson declined to comment, and the parents of Welch didn’t respond to messages.
Both families have filed civil lawsuits against Pak, seeking at least $1 million.
Pak and his wife still own the home where the alleged crime was committed, but court documents reveal it’s in the foreclosure process.
Vincent said Pak will undergo a final competency assessment Wednesday morning before changing his plea at the York County courthouse, in a hearing scheduled for 1 p.m.