0:16

Hey everyone, it's Kristen.

0:18

It's been a very unexpected

0:21

week. Most of you are probably aware

0:23

of the massive tragedy that just happened

0:26

on Wednesday, October 25th in Lewiston,

0:28

Maine.

0:29

As a born and raised Mainer whose roots

0:31

here go back many generations,

0:33

my heart is absolutely broken.

0:36

And I know I'm not alone. I

0:39

went back and forth on this, but I ultimately

0:41

decided I wanted to put something out to remember

0:43

the victims. I still feel a bit frazzled

0:46

and exhausted, so this isn't a typical

0:48

episode.

0:49

It's mostly to honor the victims, because

0:51

I know that the world is going to be obsessing

0:53

over their killer, and I want to contribute something

0:56

that keeps them in the spotlight.

0:58

Forgive me if my voice doesn't sound the greatest.

1:01

This isn't the easiest to record. I

1:04

want you to walk away from this mini-episode knowing

1:06

more about the innocent people who lost their

1:09

lives as people,

1:11

rather than just a list of names.

1:14

I'm also only going to say his name once, because

1:16

this isn't about him, and I'm tired

1:19

of saying his name and sharing his photo,

1:21

which I shared along with updates out of necessity

1:24

during the 48-hour period to help people

1:26

get a digest version of need-to-know

1:28

info.

1:29

Since everything was changing so rapidly

1:31

and there were so many rumors flying, I just

1:34

wanted to be a trusted source of the most basic

1:36

information.

1:38

If you aren't aware of what happened, here's

1:41

a very brief overview.

1:43

On Wednesday, October 25, 2023, not even a week

1:45

ago, at 6.56pm, 911 dispatch received

1:50

a call

1:52

that a shooting had occurred at Just-In-Time

1:54

Bowling Alley in Lewiston, Maine.

1:56

Within a minute and a half of the

1:58

call, four police officers were shot dead. plainclothes officers

2:01

who happened to be nearby at a shooting range

2:03

and heard the call over the radio arrived

2:06

at the scene. The shooter was nowhere to be

2:08

found. At 7.08 p.m. dispatch received

2:11

calls about an active shooter from Schwengi's

2:14

Barn Grill, a pool hall four

2:16

miles away from the bowling alley. The

2:18

first officer arrived five minutes

2:20

later. Again, the shooter

2:22

disappeared. The suspect

2:25

was quickly identified as 40-year-old

2:27

Robert Card of Bowdoin, who was a highly

2:29

skilled member of the military and had

2:31

extensive experience with firearms.

2:35

I learned about it around 9 p.m.

2:37

I was taking a break from work and I was watching

2:39

a movie. We live about an hour away

2:42

right off I-95 in Newport and

2:44

I do have friends in Lewiston. I'll

2:46

get to this in a minute, but the reality of

2:48

what happened was not what I was expecting.

2:52

I turned on New Center Main and in my

2:54

mind, I was assuming maybe two

2:56

or three people had been killed, which

2:59

still isn't okay, but prior to this,

3:01

a spree murder in Maine usually included

3:03

less than five people. When

3:05

the newscasters first said the confirmed

3:08

number was 10, my jaw

3:10

literally dropped and I gasped.

3:13

It was then I knew this was serious on

3:15

a different level. I was absolutely

3:17

shocked when they said it was confirmed 22, which thankfully

3:21

turned out to be incorrect, but the news

3:23

did initially confirm 22. In emergency shelter in

3:27

place was ordered for the area after the suspect

3:29

hadn't been caught right away. The next

3:32

morning, officials confirmed and clarified

3:35

that 18 people had been killed

3:37

in the attack with about a dozen or so

3:39

injured. Some are clinging to life

3:42

as I record this. The

3:44

next two days felt like a whirlwind. All

3:46

of New England was on edge, especially

3:49

Mainers. Other than the news,

3:51

people were seeing his face everywhere, even

3:54

an hour away in Newport. This

3:57

has never happened in Maine. just

4:00

posted a TikTok about this. You can find

4:02

me at Murder She Told on TikTok, but

4:04

if you're not from Maine and you don't know the area,

4:07

I'm talking like inland,

4:09

non-coastal, rural, working-class

4:11

Maine. This is very

4:14

different from other mass shootings

4:16

of this caliber in the US. The

4:18

thing you need to know about Maine is that

4:20

it's very small, that it's connected,

4:23

and it's overall so incredibly

4:25

rural. It really is, and everyone

4:27

knows everyone, where a lot of people go

4:29

back generations. A lot of

4:31

the major towns and cities, and I say

4:33

cities very likely, especially having

4:35

lived in New York City, because Lewiston

4:38

is the second largest city and it's

4:40

only 36,000 people. They're

4:43

all connected by the only highway

4:45

in Maine, which is I-95. We

4:47

have the oldest population per capita,

4:49

and we have a high rate of gun ownership, but

4:52

a low rate of gun violence. I

4:54

started this podcast partially because

4:57

Maine never makes the news. Let's

4:59

be honest, it's a very quiet state

5:01

that is often virtually forgotten. Our

5:04

homicide rate is 22 average per year, which

5:08

most of our domestic and drug-related

5:10

are personal. There were 18 people

5:13

killed in one night, which is almost

5:15

the average yearly rate in one

5:18

night. That's shocking

5:20

for a state with these kind of statistics.

5:23

Call it naive, but the stereotype of it doesn't

5:25

happen here and it could never happen

5:28

here, in a way, are true.

5:31

It's safe in Maine, but it did happen

5:33

here. So I think a lot of people

5:36

were in shock when this happened, and

5:38

it's absolutely shattered Maine's

5:41

sense of safety, especially

5:43

thinking that just driving up I-95 in 20 minutes,

5:45

you can hit the next

5:48

major community hub in Maine, whereas

5:50

in big cities, it would take you a while

5:53

to get from Houston to Dallas. I

5:56

know I didn't sleep very well this week, and I also

5:58

know that I'm not alone in that. 350 state

6:02

and local police from Maine and other New England

6:04

states, FBI, ATF,

6:06

game wardens and other officials participated

6:09

in the search for this man. And if

6:11

you're like, well, how could they not find him?

6:14

This man was very skilled and very

6:16

smart. He knows how to stay hidden

6:18

and how to survive in the woods, despite

6:21

any mental health concerns he may have been having,

6:23

which I am not going to get into. Maine

6:26

is also a very easy place to hide. The

6:28

center of Lewiston may be a more condensed area,

6:30

but once you get past that, it turns rural

6:33

very quickly. The

6:35

manhunt went on for about 48 hours until

6:37

he was found dead in nearby Lisbon the

6:39

night of Friday, October 29th of

6:41

self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Anders

6:44

Goggin County Sheriff's Department confirmed at 9.20

6:47

p.m. that he'd been located deceased. And

6:50

even though we know that the families will never get to face

6:52

him, it felt like a huge

6:54

relief.

6:55

Like all of this tension over the past 48

6:58

hours had finally been relieved. He

7:00

was no longer a threat to the public.

7:03

One part of the nightmare was finally over, but

7:05

the rest is only just beginning.

7:09

I wrote this on the Murder, She Told Facebook

7:11

page immediately after the press conference

7:14

around 10.30. Tonight,

7:16

Maine can finally breathe and sleep.

7:19

We can mourn without fear and finally

7:22

begin to heal from this massive tragedy.

7:25

The suspect in the Lewiston shootings has been located

7:27

deceased after a 48-hour manhunt

7:29

and stealing 18

7:31

innocent lives.

7:33

Everyone's hearts are broken.

7:35

Born and raised Mainers. Fifth generation

7:38

Mainers.

7:39

Just moved to Maine, Mainers.

7:42

Friends of Mainers. Fans from away. Honorary

7:45

Mainers. Moved away Mainers.

7:47

All of us.

7:49

Maine's community is special. We

7:51

will come out of this stronger, more empathetic

7:54

and closer. Thank you to

7:56

the hundreds of first responders, both

7:58

local and out of state. who worked tirelessly

8:01

and selflessly over the past 48 hours

8:04

to bring a resolution. Thank you to the

8:06

newscasters and service workers who put

8:08

in the same effort. These 18 people,

8:11

their names and the stories their families

8:13

decide to share should be our focus now

8:15

that he's been located. He took too

8:18

much of our focus out of necessity for

8:20

the past two days. Now, it's

8:23

time we shift and remember and honor them.

8:26

These are the 18 victims of the Lewiston

8:28

shootings whose lives were taken this week.

8:31

They are why I chose to make this. This

8:34

is what their families and loved ones want

8:36

you to know about them. I'm

8:38

gonna start with the victims of just in time

8:40

recreation, the bowling alley

8:43

that was hit first. Thomas

8:46

Ryan Conrad, age 34. Thomas

8:50

was a manager at just in time recreation

8:52

and he was one of several men who attempted

8:54

to take down and disarm the gunman. Thomas

8:57

was a veteran of the US Army who served

8:59

in Iraq and Afghanistan. His

9:01

friend Adam Stoddard told the Lewiston

9:04

Sun Journal, he was great with

9:06

all the bowling community kids. They

9:08

loved him. He loved them so

9:10

much he sacrificed his life to save

9:12

the children who were there. Thomas

9:14

had recently returned to Maine to be closer

9:16

to his nine year old daughter. He died

9:19

a hero. Michael

9:22

R. Deloria Jr, age 51

9:24

and his best friend, Jason Adam Walker,

9:26

each 51. Michael

9:29

and Jason were close friends having a fun night

9:31

out together. Michael and Jason

9:34

were two of several who are killed while trying

9:36

to rush the gunman and stop the violence. Michael's

9:39

father shared in a Facebook post to

9:41

the Sabatus Historical Society, I have

9:44

the hardest news for our father to ever have

9:46

to share. My son Michael

9:48

and his dearest friend Jason Walker

9:50

were murdered last night at the bowling alley. They

9:53

made sure their wives and several young children

9:55

were undercover and then they charged

9:58

the shooter. Tricia

10:01

C. Aslan, age 53. Tricia

10:04

was a part-time employee at Just-In-Time

10:06

Recreation. She was an accomplished

10:09

athlete, a volunteer, a mother,

10:11

and a rock of her family. She

10:13

also died a hero. Tricia's

10:15

mother and sister were there visiting. Her

10:17

mother told NPR that they were chatting near

10:19

the lanes when the shots rang out. And

10:22

instead of exiting the building with them to safety,

10:24

Tricia ran back beyond the counter to call 911.

10:28

This is when she was killed. Tricia

10:31

was skilled in golf, fishing, and

10:33

softball. And she even turned down a college

10:35

softball scholarship to start a family. She

10:38

was a volunteer with Make-A-Wish and

10:40

raised $900 for a local Susan

10:43

G. Komen breast cancer research walk.

10:46

She enjoyed going on cruises with her son. Her

10:48

mother told NPR, I'll hold

10:51

her in my heart forever, but I want

10:53

her in my arms one more time. William

10:57

A. Young, age 44, and

10:59

his son, Aaron Young,

11:02

age 14.

11:04

Bill Young was a father and an auto mechanic.

11:06

He was also the center of his family.

11:09

His cousin Kim told the Associated Press,

11:12

Bill was a man dedicated to his family,

11:15

always trying to be the funny guy. Bill

11:17

had taken his 14-year-old son, Aaron,

11:20

to Just-In-Time to play in a youth bowling

11:22

league Wednesday night. Aaron

11:24

was an honor student in Winthrop who was really

11:27

proud of his grades. He was an avid

11:29

bowler who received awards for his skills

11:31

from the youth league. His sister Kayla

11:34

told the press, I knew it would hit

11:36

me when I got here, and Aaron wasn't

11:38

here to greet me with a huge smile and a

11:40

hug when we got in. My mom

11:42

just keeps saying, he gave the best

11:45

hugs. Robert

11:48

E. Violet, age 76, and

11:50

his wife, Lucille M. Violet, 73.

11:54

Bob and Lucille bowl like clockwork

11:57

every week, according to their former daughter-in-law,

11:59

Jessica. It was interviewed by Maine Public.

12:03

Bob was the coach of the Youth League, a program

12:05

that he started, and Lucy would bowl

12:07

on Wednesdays. The couple was

12:09

described as kind and gentle people

12:12

who were devoted grandparents. Bob

12:15

wanted to share his love of bowling with others,

12:17

and Lucy served in the public school system

12:19

for 52 years. The superintendent

12:22

of Lewiston schools said she

12:24

supported youth, their development, loved

12:26

bowling, a good laugh, and was a

12:28

valued member of the business office at

12:30

Lewiston Public Schools. She was

12:33

one of the kindest people I ever met. A

12:35

friend of Bob's told WMTW,

12:38

I have no doubt that he was protecting

12:40

those kids until the end. He's just

12:42

such a good man, and he deserves people

12:45

to know about him and what he meant to everyone.

12:47

Jessica said, I knew pretty much

12:50

automatically that Bob would be one to get shot,

12:52

because he's a hero. He's a protector

12:55

and a veteran. I knew

12:57

he would throw himself in front of the children

12:59

and his wife. These

13:03

are the victims from Schmengie's Barn Grill.

13:06

Keith D. McNear, age 64. Keith

13:10

was the only person who wasn't local to Maine.

13:13

He had traveled from his home in Florida to visit

13:15

his son in Maine and celebrate his 64th birthday.

13:18

His niece, Grace, wrote on Facebook

13:21

that Keith was undoubtedly making new friends

13:23

that night. She wrote, Keith

13:25

was one of the friendliest and kindest guys

13:27

in the room. His loss will leave a huge

13:29

hole in the lives of many, many people.

13:33

There's a GoFundMe created by his family. Ronald

13:36

G. Morin, 55. Ron

13:39

Morin was a dedicated husband and father

13:41

of two. He's remembered for his

13:43

gregarious and infectious personality

13:46

and as the one who was always ready to

13:48

make others laugh. Ron

13:50

had recently started posting almost daily

13:53

quips on Facebook, including

13:55

this. His final post the

13:57

day before the shooting. Some comic

13:59

releases.

13:59

Why do men go to bars

14:02

to meet women? Go to Target.

14:04

The female to male ratio is 10 to 1

14:07

and they're already looking for things they don't need.

14:10

His younger sister Tanya

14:12

wrote on the family's GoFundMe. He was

14:15

an incredible husband, father, brother,

14:18

uncle, son, and friend. To

14:20

know Ron was to instantly love

14:22

him. He was a man who

14:25

always put others before himself and

14:27

looked for the humor and positivity, and

14:29

in the most tragic circumstances. His

14:32

son Eric called his father his

14:34

best friend. Peyton

14:37

Brewer Ross,

14:38

age 40.

14:40

Peyton was a new father and a pipe fitter

14:42

at Bath Iron Works. He was also

14:44

part of the local machinists

14:45

union.

14:46

He was described as a wonderful and colorful

14:49

person to be around. The union

14:51

released a statement saying that Peyton would

14:53

be remembered for his compassion, his

14:55

ability to go above and beyond to support

14:57

his fellow workers, his humor, and

14:59

his strong character. Peyton

15:02

was an avid cornhole player and a huge

15:04

fan of wrestling, especially Macho

15:06

Man Randy Savage, who

15:09

he would often quote. He also loved

15:11

comic books. His brother

15:13

Ralph told the Bangor Daily News that

15:15

in his favorite photo of his brother, he's

15:18

wearing a red fringed Randy

15:20

Macho Man Savage Slim Jim

15:22

jacket and grinning from ear to ear.

15:25

Not many people could pull off wearing that jacket,

15:28

he said. Peyton wore it when

15:30

his sweet daughter Elle was born two

15:32

years ago, and he would wear it playing

15:34

cornhole, which he was very excited

15:37

to do that Wednesday night. Ralph

15:39

said Peyton and Elle, those

15:41

two were a pair. She is a total

15:44

daddy's girl. The first word that

15:46

ever came out of her mouth was daddy. She

15:49

now asks where her daddy is, and

15:52

her mother, Peyton's life partner and

15:54

recent fiance Rachel, struggles

15:56

to find the words. They had

15:59

plans to buy a home to her. together. Everything

16:01

was coming together for him. And in one

16:03

moment, it was all taken away. Joshua

16:08

A. Seal, age 36. Joshua

16:11

Seal was a husband, a father of

16:13

four, and a tireless advocate

16:15

for the Deaf community, especially

16:17

in times of crisis. He was a skilled

16:20

sign language interpreter and is remembered

16:22

for his ASL interpretation of the pandemic

16:24

briefings for Dr. Narav Shah in

16:26

Maine. He was a star among

16:28

the Deaf and hard of hearing. Josh

16:31

was part of a group from the Deaf and hard of hearing

16:33

community in Lewiston who frequently

16:35

played cornhole at Schmengies. He

16:37

was participating in a tournament for Deaf people

16:40

with his friends Steve Vazzella, Brian

16:42

McFarlane, and Billy Brackett, who

16:44

were also killed. The men

16:47

all knew each other through the Governor Baxter

16:49

School for the Deaf. Josh

16:51

also helped to coordinate programs for summer

16:53

camps for Deaf and hard of hearing kids to

16:56

keep them engaged and not feel isolated.

16:58

His wife Elizabeth said

17:00

that he was the best father. He will be

17:02

missed by many. Brian

17:05

M. McFarlane, 40. Brian was

17:08

part of the group playing in the cornhole tournament

17:11

with the Deaf community. He would have turned 41

17:13

in December. Brian grew

17:15

up in Portland and had recently moved back

17:18

to Maine to be with his mother. He loved

17:20

spending time with his Deaf friends, loved

17:22

being outdoors, riding his motorcycle,

17:25

camping, and fishing. Brian

17:27

was one of the first Deaf people in the state of Vermont

17:29

to get a commercial trucking driver's license

17:32

and would often hit the road with his dog Eminem,

17:35

named after his favorite candy. His sister

17:37

Carrie told CNN, many

17:39

states don't let Deaf people drive trucks,

17:42

so I'm very proud of him for achieving that. Steven

17:46

M. Vazzella, age 45.

17:49

Steve was also part of the group playing in the cornhole

17:52

tournament with the Deaf community. Cornhole

17:54

was a big part of his life, and he was

17:57

pretty good at it. He was an active member

17:59

of the New England Danglin Deaf Cornhole who

18:01

wrote on Facebook that he would be deeply missed

18:04

both on and off the court. Steve

18:06

was a letter carrier for the US Postal Service

18:08

and was a member of the National Association

18:11

of Letter Carriers. Steve was also

18:13

a father of two and was just about to

18:15

celebrate his one year wedding anniversary

18:17

with his wife, Megan. He was a pivotal

18:20

member of Maine's Deaf community. William

18:24

Frank Brackett,

18:25

age 48.

18:27

Billy, as he was known, was

18:29

also part of the group playing in the cornhole tournament.

18:32

Billy didn't let being Deaf stop

18:34

him from doing anything he wanted to do. He

18:37

was an avid sportsman and he loved

18:39

just about any sport, participating

18:41

in basketball, soccer, baseball,

18:43

and softball. As a teen, he

18:45

would teach his fellow baseball team members

18:47

sign language in the dugout. And

18:50

as an adult, he taught children basketball

18:52

in the summer. Billy was the father

18:54

of a two and a half year old daughter and this summer

18:57

he began taking her fishing, trying

18:59

to teach her a love of the outdoors. His

19:02

father, whose name was also William,

19:04

told the press, he was just a gentle

19:06

person. He was big and rugged

19:09

and I guess maybe that's why all the little

19:11

kids loved him. Maybe they thought,

19:14

he'll be our protector. Joseph

19:18

Lawrence Walker, age 57. Joseph

19:21

Walker was the manager of Schmengie's Barn Grill

19:24

and the son of Auburn City Counsellor Leroy

19:26

Walker Sr. Main State

19:28

Police said that Joseph grabbed a kitchen

19:30

knife and tried to run towards the shooter

19:33

and stop him from hurting other people.

19:35

He was shot in the stomach twice.

19:37

His father Leroy, in an interview

19:40

with WGME, said he wasn't

19:42

surprised to hear that's how his son

19:44

died, trying to save other people.

19:47

Leroy said, my son was a great

19:49

son. He never got into any trouble

19:51

and he did a lot of good things for a lot of people.

19:54

Joseph, along with many others,

19:57

died a hero. Arthur

20:00

Fred Strout, age 42. Arthur

20:03

Strout was a father of five. He

20:06

was playing pool at Schmenge's with his father,

20:08

also named Arthur. His father

20:11

left the bar early. He later told CBS

20:13

News, he said, I love you because

20:15

all my kids tell me that every time we see each

20:17

other. Ten minutes later, I get

20:20

a phone call. Arthur was

20:22

described by his wife, Christy, as a

20:24

Christmas person who would sometimes

20:27

start holiday preparations by Halloween.

20:30

Together, they had a large blended family

20:32

and they all loved to decorate the tree together. He

20:35

strived to create the picture-perfect

20:37

Christmas tree. A close friend

20:40

of the Strout family, Maria, described

20:42

Arthur as a generous person who wanted

20:44

to share everything he had. She

20:47

remembers him for his infectious and silly

20:49

laugh. Max

20:52

A. Hathaway, age 35. Max

20:55

was playing pool Wednesday night with his

20:57

pregnant wife, Brenda, who, now

20:59

miraculously, left early before

21:02

the shooting happened. Max

21:04

was a stay-at-home dad to two daughters,

21:06

with a third on the way, due in about a month.

21:09

He loved anime, gaming, and playing

21:12

pool. His sister, Kelsey,

21:14

wrote in the family's GoFundMe for Brenda

21:16

and his children that her brother was goofy

21:18

and down to earth. Max, quote,

21:21

loved to joke around and always had an uplifting

21:23

attitude, no matter what was going on.

21:25

She wrote, growing

21:27

up, he would always play dolls with my younger sister,

21:30

Courtney, and always loved to get

21:32

into trouble. Now,

21:35

Max's three girls will have to grow up

21:37

without their dad. Those

21:40

are the 18 confirmed victims of

21:43

the Lewiston shooting. And while the rest

21:45

of the survivors are healing physically,

21:47

I hope that we don't add a 19th.

21:51

All of the GoFundMes mentioned in this episode

21:53

will be linked at the top of the blog at MurderSheTold.com.

21:57

If you see any other GoFundMes that directly

21:59

support any of of the families or verify

22:01

general funding for those affected, please

22:04

email them to me at hello at murdershetold.com

22:06

so I can add them. I'm going to put the link to

22:08

the blog in the show notes so that you can easily

22:11

find all the links to help people. If

22:13

you have a coffee to spare, please consider

22:15

donating to one of these companies. Most

22:18

of Maine is lower and middle class communities,

22:20

so a lot of these families might be

22:23

struggling financially in the aftermath. I've

22:25

donated anonymously for Murder She Told.

22:29

If you need help or counseling during

22:31

this time, please call

22:33

or text 988. There are

22:35

people available 24 seven and ready

22:37

to speak with you. You matter and

22:40

you are not alone if you are struggling

22:42

or you need help. I'll link some resources

22:45

on the blog as well. Be

22:47

kind to one another, share kindness.

22:50

Maine is strong. We will get through

22:52

this. I just wish we didn't

22:54

have to in the first

22:55

place.

22:57

I love you all. Thank you for

22:59

listening. Thank

23:01

you for listening.