Man pleads guilty to killing 2 random people in front of their kids
By Adam Bartow
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WESTBROOK, Maine (WMTW) — Marcel Lagrange pleaded guilty Monday to murdering two people in front of their children in downtown Westbrook in 2023, reversing a previous not criminally responsible plea.
Lagrange pleaded guilty to all six counts against him Monday, including two counts of intentional or knowing murder, one count of aggravated attempted murder, one count of aggravated assault, one count of criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and one count of reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon.
Westbrook Police were called to the intersection of Main Street and Bridge Street around 8:30 p.m. on June 19, 2023. When they arrived, authorities say they saw Lagrange shoot and kill Brittney Cockrell outside of a car.
Inside the car, emergency responders later found 41-year-old Michael Hayter dead and two children, ages 7 and 11, who witnessed the shooting.
Court papers reveal that 11-year-old Mason told police that LaGrange shot at him but missed because the boy ducked.
Investigators say Lagrange did not know the victims.
On Aug. 31, 2023, when a judge asked how he was going plead, LeGrange said “I’m not guilty. Not guilty by reason of insanity.” His attorney also added at the time, “not criminally responsible.”
On Monday, Jeff McKinney, grandfather of the two children, was in the courtroom.
“I can’t imagine not being here. Brittany would want me to be here. Mike would want me to be here,” he said.
He told Maine’s Total Coverage that Lagrange should serve life in prison.
“Not that we are not capable of forgiving, but, you have to look at the level of crime committed here. There’s nothing less that will suffice,” said McKinney. “We trust in the truth and the light. And that’s the only reason I’m able to stand here and talk.”
Lagrange will be sentenced during another hearing later this year. The exact date was not set Monday.
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