Background: Marcel Lagrange Jr. appears at his sentencing hearing remotely (via WMTW). Inset: Brittney Cockrell and Michael Hayter (Facebook).
A Maine man who pleaded guilty to murdering a couple in front of two of their children was sentenced to life in prison.
Marcel Lagrange Jr., 26, appeared remotely for his hearing on Thursday when a judge handed down a life sentence for the fatal shooting of Michael Hayter, 41, and Brittney Cockrell, 37. Lagrange was also sentenced to an additional 50 years for the attempted murder of the couple's then-11-year-old son, Mason.
Mason and his little sister Maddie, 7, were in the car with their parents on the night of June 19, 2023, when prosecutors said Lagrange was out for blood after being rejected by a woman.
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According to courtroom reporting by local CBS affiliate WGME, prosecutor Jennifer Ackerman said that after a woman turned down Lagrange, he announced that "multiple people would die because of what she was doing." He then lay in wait for a potential victim before opening fire on Hayter and Cockrell while they were in their car outside a Portland Pie pizza restaurant.
In an affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime, Mason told police that Lagrange showed up "out of nowhere" and fired a gun at his father, hitting him in the neck. He said Cockrell then ran away and was shot by Lagrange. Maddie told police that her mother was "running, screaming, and pointing" before she was gunned down. Police found Cockrell on the ground of the parking lot with multiple gunshot wounds. Mason said that Lagrange also tried to shoot him, but he "ducked down" and was not hit.
Jeff McKinney, Cockrell's father and the children's grandfather, read a statement by Mason in court at the sentencing, which said, "There was just enough time so Maddie and I could duck."
A third child, Cadence Cockrell, who was not in the car on the night of the shooting, said, "He killed my parents. And I hope he gets the two life sentences he deserves. No parole for taking my parents, for my siblings having to watch."
Lagrange expressed remorse for the double murder and attempted murder, telling the court, "I was not in my right mind that day. I had stopped taking my medication and was drinking and smoking weed, and not getting the mental health that I needed."
Lagrange was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of Cockrell and Hayter and 50 years for the attempted murder of their son.
