Maine resident Marcel LaGrange is facing two life sentences for killing a couple in their car. Their young children were also inside the vehicle and saw their parents murdered. LaGrange, who claims he wasn’t thinking clearly when he killed the couple, was looking to cause pain when he shot them. He had recently been rejected by a woman and evidently sought to inflict what he was feeling on someone else. But the family that he unleashed bullets on didn’t deserve to lose their lives. It’s because of the man’s unchecked rage that two young kids will grow up without their parents.
Sentencing for the 26-year-old took place on December 4, 2025, WMTW reported. He was indicted on two counts of murder and one count each of aggravated attempted murder, aggravated assault, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, and reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon.
LaGrange was also given a 50-year sentence for attempting to shoot and kill the couple’s then 11-year-old son.
In September, the man pleaded guilty to all charges. Prior to pleading guilty, LaGrange planned to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. His team believed the state could prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
On June 23, 2023, LaGrange was angry. According to WGME, he wanted to kill someone — anyone — that night because a woman had rejected him. All he wanted was revenge.
Prosecutor Jennifer Ackerman said he declared “multiple people would die because of what she was doing.”
Michael Hayter and his wife, Brittany Cockrell, became LaGrange’s unwilling victims. As Ackerman pointed out, the couple “did not provoke or initiate this violence into their lives,” per WMTW. He didn’t know the couple when he opened fire on their car. The couple’s children, then 11 and 7 years old, watched as their parents were killed by a complete stranger in cold blood.
“Mason and Maddie Hayter were present in the car when their father was executed in the front seat,” Ackerman said. “They saw their mother being chased by the defendant with a gun in his hand.”
The children were not in court for the sentencing, but Mason Hayter, the older of the two, wrote a letter read by his grandfather. “There was just enough time so Maddie and I could duck,” he said.
“They told us that our dad had died. It was so upsetting,” the boy shared in the letter. His sister “was crying,” he added. “She couldn’t stop. I didn’t cry, but everyone was so upset.”
Members of Cockrell’s family, including her father, mother, and sister spoke during the hearing, addressing LaGrange directly in their comments.
“You took my sister, my best friend,” her sister Laura Wrobleski said, according to WMTW. Their mother, Brenda McKinney, added, “Marcel, I can say I hate what you’ve done to my family. But I pray for your soul.”
LaGrange addressed the court virtually, expressing remorse for his actions that night. “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,” he said.
He continued, “I wanted to say, as if I’m speaking to the family members. I don’t know if any of you guys are here right now, but I’m just really sorry.”
