Joseph Eaton, appearing in court, was sentenced to life in prison for killing his mother and father, Cynthia Eaton and David Eaton, bottom inset, and their friends Robert Eger and Patricia Eger, top inset. (Courtroom screenshot and victims’ photos from WCSH/YouTube)
A man who admitted he killed his parents and their two friends and wounded three drivers on a highway in Maine days after his mother picked him up from prison has been sentenced to life behind bars.
Joseph Eaton, 35, learned his fate this week in the deaths of his mother and father, Cynthia Eaton, 62, and David Eaton, 66, and their friends Robert Eger, 72, and Patricia Eger, 62, at a home in Bowdoin, Maine, near Portland, in April 2023. He received his punishment after pleading guilty to charges including four counts of murder and aggravated attempted murder.
The victims’ families talked about the lasting effects the bloodshed had on their lives.
“He killed the only four people in this world who actually loved and cared for him,” said Kristina DeRaps, who is married to a nephew of Patricia Eger, The Associated Press reported. DeRaps called Eaton “a selfish little boy.”
The defendant apologized, saying, “I wake up every day regretting what I did,” according to the AP.
“A life sentence is what I deserve, and honestly, think I deserve worse,” he added, local ABC affiliate WMTW reported.
Eaton’s defense lawyer, Andrew Wright, said he is baffled by his client, who — despite the violence — described him as “a kind and compassionate and emotional and empathetic” man, the AP reported Wright saying outside court.
“It’s a senseless act that makes no sense to anyone involved,” he said. “It’s a tragedy.”
The case came to light on the morning of April 18, 2023. Patricia Egers’ sister — concerned she hadn’t heard from her — went to the home on Augusta Road in Bowdoin, Maine, found one of the bodies and called 911, according to an affidavit.
Deputies found the Egers and Cynthia Eaton shot dead inside the home, authorities said. David Eaton was found dead in a barn on the property. A dog had also been killed. The victims had been shot a day earlier.
On the kitchen island, authorities found an unsigned note to no one in particular that stated someone had been molested and that there was nothing done about it. The note mentioned someone “being freed of pain” and that the writer of the note “wanted a new life,” court documents said.
The case took a big twist when, during the quadruple homicide investigation, a 911 call came in about shots fired at multiple vehicles on an interstate about 20 miles away. Law enforcement from several police agencies responded.
Four vehicles were hit by gunfire, officials said. Three family members in a car were hospitalized — “passersby in the wrong place at the wrong time,” a relative of the family later told the AP.
Eaton was captured near an interstate exit ramp near his parents’ rental after a motorist spotted him standing in the middle of the road, waving his hands with what appeared to be blood on him, the affidavit said.
He admitted to killing his parents and their friends to investigators and shooting at the vehicles on the highway when he thought police officers were following him, court documents said.
Joseph Eaton was released from Windham Correctional Facility on April 14, 2023 — just days before the killings — after serving a sentence for aggravated assault, police said. His mother met him at the prison and brought him to Bowdoin to stay with the Egers.
As Law&Crime reported, a man believed to be the defendant posted on Facebook the same day Eaton was released from prison saying that he was feeling thankful.
“It’s finally over,” the man says in the video. “There are so many people I can’t wait to see.”
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