Man shot parents and their friends dead before opening fire on highway, Maine cops say
A man said he fatally shot his parents and two family friends before he opened fire on a highway, targeting cars he thought were police chasing him, Maine authorities said.
Joseph Eaton, 34, of Bowdoin was found in the woods shortly after shooting at multiple cars on Interstate 295 the morning of April 18, according to a state police news release.
On the highway, gunfire struck a 51-year-old father and his son, 29, and his daughter, 25, police said. The daughter is in critical condition, and the father and son have non-life-threatening injuries, according to authorities.
Eaton faces charges of four counts of murder and is being held in jail without bail, state police said.
The violence came days after Eaton was released from prison on April 14, according to police.
His mother, Cynthia Eaton, picked him up upon his release from Windham Correctional Facility, where he served an aggravated assault sentence, authorities said.
Afterward, Cynthia Eaton brought her son to stay at the home of family friends Patricia and Robert Eger, whom he’s also accused of killing, the release said.
How the killings and highway shootings unfolded
Around 9:21 a.m. on April 18, a family member called 911 to report finding a dead person at the Eatons’ home in Bowdoin, according to police.
Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived and found the bodies of Patricia Eger, 62, Robert Eger, 72, and Joseph Eaton’s parents, Cynthia Eaton, 62, and David Eaton, 66, police said.
Autopsies revealed they died of gunshot wounds, according to police.
Then, after 10:30 a.m., police were called about four cars shot along Interstate 295, the release said.
There, the father and his two adult children were found shot, police said. They were brought to Maine Medical Center.
After Eaton was found in the woods around 10:50 a.m. near the southbound Exit 15 off the interstate, he was also taken to Maine Medical Center, according to police.
He was medically cleared and brought to the Portland Police Department, where he was interviewed and admitted to killing his parents and the Egers, according to the release. Then, he was taken to Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset.
Authorities plan to release more details of Eaton’s interview at the police station “as this case proceeds in the court system,” police said.
Bowdoin is about 35 miles northeast of Portland, Maine.
This story was originally published April 19, 2023 at 2:21 PM with the headline "Man shot parents and their friends dead before opening fire on highway, Maine cops say."
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