Background: David Gaudreau (left) during a court appearance with his attorney (WCSH). Inset: Dale Gaudreau (Chandler Funeral Home and Cremation).
A Maine man charged with the murder of his estranged wife changed his plea to guilty and received what likely amounts to a life sentence.
David Gaudreau, 60, was charged with the May 2024 murder of 59-year-old Dale Gaudreau when he turned himself in to police hours after the shooting.
Dale Gaudreau had left her husband a week before he ended her life and was in the midst of a legal separation, according to local ABC affiliate WMTW.
On May 28, 2024, David Gaudreau followed his wife in his truck as she drove home from work, crashed his vehicle into hers, and fired several shots at her, prosecutors said. Maine State Police said the woman died at the scene of the crime.
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Several people in the neighborhood heard gunfire at around 7:00 p.m. that evening, according to local CBS affiliate WGME. One person told the outlet he thought he heard “fireworks and kids,” but soon realized the sound was Dale Gaudreau”s screams while she was being shot.
A married couple heard two vehicles speeding down the road outside their home on the evening of the shooting, in comments to old local NBC affiliate WCSH. When they got up to see what was going on, the husband said, “[I]t looked like gray pickup on the outside and a sedan on the inside. The had come even and the windows were down, and I thought, what is he trying to do?”
The terrified onlooker said he then “heard about seven shots.”
The crime scene and ensuing investigation caused Route 108 in Peru, Maine to be closed until the following morning, resulting in schools being closed the following day.
In a Facebook post following the slaying, Maine State Police said David Gaudreau called “several family members” to tell them that he shot Dale Gaudreau. Just after 11:30 p.m. the same night, he turned himself in to police. He was booked into the Oxford County Jail and charged with murder.
David Gaudreau “sobbed” throughout his first court appearance following the killing, WGME reported. At one point, he said, “What have I f—ing done?” as he continued crying.
The since-condemned man initially pleaded not guilty to murder, but changed his plea to guilty. He was sentenced on Friday to 45 years in prison.
