Lewiston man pleads guilty in McDonald’s parking lot death

AUBURN, Maine — A Maine man pleaded guilty to manslaughter Monday in the death of a Massachusetts resident in a fast-food restaurant parking lot.

Police charged Trai Larue, of Lewiston, with murder stemming from the death of Roger Cornell, 21, of New Bedford. Cornell was found injured in the parking lot in 2020 and later died at a hospital.

Police said at the time of Larue’s arrest that Cornell suffered injuries in an altercation with Larue.

Larue’s attorney, Justin Leary, said Monday that Larue’s plea agreement includes 25 years in jail, with most of that time suspended. A judge will issue the final sentence in March, Leary said.

Leary called the agreement “a fair resolution” and called Cornell’s death “a terrible and tragic mistake.”