AUGUSTA, Maine — During a work session Wednesday, a legislative panel rejected an Aroostook County family’s plea that members endorse a bill calling for a mandatory life sentence when defendants are convicted of domestic violence homicides.
Instead, the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee unanimously endorsed an amendment that calls for judges to give “special weight” at murder sentencings if “the victim is a family or household member.”
If passed by lawmakers, it would amend a law that already calls on judges to give special weight at sentencings if the victim is under the age of 6 or the victim is a pregnant woman. Those provisions were passed in 2000 and 2005, respectively, after the families of victims urged lawmakers to require stiffer penalties for defendants in homicide and manslaughter cases.
Sponsored by Sen. Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, the measure would be know as “Amy’s Law,” according to a news release issued Thursday by the Senate Democratic office.
“The family is the foundational unit of our society,” Jackson said in the release. “That’s what makes domestic violence such a blight on our communities. This law makes clear that when domestic violence escalates to murder, judges must ensure the punishment fits the crime.”
Jackson submitted the bill on behalf of a constituent, Barbara Theriault of St. Francis, whose daughter, Amy Theriault, was shot and stabbed to death by her boyfriend in 2014.
Jesse Marquis faced between 25 years and life in prison, but before the trial started, the family learned that a plea deal had been offered to Marquis. In exchange for a guilty plea, the prosecutor in the Maine attorney general’s office and the defense team would recommend Marquis be sentenced to 40 years in prison.
“I will never be free from this horrendous crime,” Theriault said last week during the hearing. “I live it every day. Amy is gone. Her children are motherless. And we had to contend that this monster has the possibility of being free to terrorize our family again. This is what has lead us to fight for justice.”
Efforts to reach members of the Theriault family Thursday were unsuccessful.
The bill, as amended, now moves to the Senate for an initial vote, according to the office for Senate Democrats. It will face subsequent votes in the Senate and the House before being sent on to Gov. Paul LePage.
Marquis, 41, of St. Francis is serving a life sentence at the Maine State Prison in Warren for the May 31, 2014, murder of Amy Theriault, 31, in her home.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call 866-834-4357, TRS 800-787-3224. This free, confidential service is available 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in Maine.