The slayings of 10-year-old Marissa Kennedy in February and Somerset County Sheriff’s deputy Cpl. Eugene Cole rattled Mainers and evoked strong emotions from residents around the state in 2018.
Kennedy and Cole were two of the 18 people who died from homicides in Maine last year, according to the Maine Department of Public Safety. Half of those deaths were classified as domestic violence-related.
That is the same total number of homicides as in 2016 and two fewer than the state recorded in 2017. In recent years, the highest number of homicides occurred in 2008 when 31 Maine residents were killed. Five of them that year were children under the age of 3.
The state characterizes a case as a domestic violence homicide when a family member kills another family member or intimate partner.
Here are the homicides of 2018 and the towns where they occurred:
— Jan. 7 — Portland — Sokha Khuon, 36, was shot and killed inside her home. Her longtime partner, Anthony Leng, 41, was charged with murder. He is scheduled to be tried Sept. 30 at the Cumberland County Courthouse in Portland.
— Jan. 9 — Temple — Michelle Masse, 59, was shot to death inside her home by her husband, Thomas Masse, 60, who then took his own life.
— Jan. 10 — Bangor — Israel Lewis, 51, was shot inside his apartment. F “Frank” Daly, 30, was charged with murder. His trial is to be held June 24 at the Penobscot Judicial Center.
— Jan. 17 — Bridgewater — Paul Hilenski, 79, was shot to death inside his home. James Peaslee, 38, of Easton has pleaded not guilty to murder. His trial is set to begin June 10 at the Aroostook County Courthouse in Houlton.
— Feb. 25 — Stockton Springs — Marissa Kennedy, 10, was beaten to death inside her home. Her stepfather, Julio Carrillo, 56, and mother Sharon Carrillo, 34, were charged with murder. They are scheduled to be tried Aug. 12 at the Waldo County Judicial Center in Belfast. Sharon Carrillo recently filed a petition to annul her marriage to Julio Carrillo.
— Feb. 26 — Bowdoinham — Beulah “Marie” Sylvester, 55, was found beaten to death inside her home. Her grandson, Dominic Sylvester was 16 when he was charged with murder. A hearing to determine if he will be tried as a juvenile or an adult is scheduled for March 21 in Sagadahoc County Superior Court in Bath.
— March 28 — Bangor — Michael Bridges, 43, and Desiree York, 36, both of Bangor, died while trapped inside a box truck that was set afire downtown. John De St. Croix, 25, is charged with two counts of murder. He is scheduled to be tried March 25 at the Penobscot Judicial Center in Bangor.
— March 31 — Norridgewock — Marie Lancaster-Hale, 58, was shot and killed inside her home by her husband, William Hale, 62, who then took his own life.
— April 22 — Litchfield — Kimberly Mironovas, 47, was stabbed and strangled inside her home. Three teenage boys, including her son, are charged in connection with her death. Lukas Mironovas, 15, of Litchfield and William Smith, 16, of Ashland, Massachusetts, were charged with murder. Thomas Severance, 13, of Ashland, Massachusetts, was charged with conspiracy to commit murder. A hearing to determine if the boys will be tried as juveniles or adults has not been set. It will be held at the Capital Judicial Center in Augusta.
— April 25 — Norridgewock — Somerset County sheriff’s Deputy Cpl. Eugene Cole, 61, was shot and killed in an encounter with a local man, who later stole his police cruiser. John Williams, 30, of Madison was arrested after a four-day manhunt and charged with murder. He is scheduled to be tried June 10 in Cumberland County Superior Court in Portland.
— May 31 — Bar Harbor — Mikaela Conley, 19, of Bar Harbor was killed in a downtown wooded area. Jalique Keene, 21, of Bar Harbor was arrested and charged with gross sexual assault and murder. He is tentatively scheduled to be tried in May in Hancock County Superior Court in Ellsworth.
— June 26 — Portland — Jack Wilson, 45, of Portland was shot on a street in the Bayside area and died July 3. Tyrese Collins, 19, of Portland has pleaded not guilty to murder. A trial date has not been set.
— July 12 — Hampden — Renee Henneberry Clark, 49, was shot to death inside her home. Her brother-in-law, Philip Clark, 55, of Hampden, who lived in an adjacent apartment, has pleaded not guilty to murder. He is tentatively scheduled to be tried in November at the Penobscot Judicial Center in Bangor.
— July 15 — Lewiston — Kimberly Dobbie, 48, of Lewiston was stabbed to death on a downtown street. Albert Flick, 76, of Auburn has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to murder. He is scheduled to be tried July 15 in Androscoggin County Superior Court in Auburn.
— Nov. 11 — Bangor — Jason Moody, 40, of Bangor was found badly beaten on a city street. He died two days later. Donald Galleck, 29, of Bangor was indicted on a murder charge Dec. 28 by the Penobscot County grand jury. He is expected to plead not guilty later this month. A trial date has not been set.
— Dec. 12 — Hartford — Ana Cordeiro, 41, died inside her home. Her longtime boyfriend, Rondon Athayde, 46, of Hartford, was charged with murder. A trial date has not been set.
— Dec. 15 — Richmond — Niomi Mello, 37, was shot to death inside her home by her longtime boyfriend, Kirk Alexander, 46, of Richmond, who then took his own life.
The deaths of Khuon, Masse, Kennedy, Sylvester, Lancaster-Hale, Mironovas, Henneberry Clark, Cordeiro and Mello were classified as domestic violence homicides.
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.