OSSIPEE, N.H. – Anthony Papile said he wouldn’t ask for forgiveness because he doesn’t deserve it. He acknowledged that he became the monster in the lives of Krista Dittmeyer’s family last year when he robbed them of a daughter, sister and mother.

Papile, of Ossipee, pleaded guilty Thursday to second-degree murder in the death of the 20-year-old Portland, Maine, resident, who grew up in Bridgton, Maine.

He was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison, under an agreement between the prosecution and the defense. Papile, 29, will be eligible for parole after 42½ years if he completes drug and alcohol treatment and earns associate and bachelor’s degrees.

During the proceeding in Carroll County Superior Court, he said he hopes that joyful memories of Dittmeyer will overshadow the pain he has caused.

“I hope that someday the nightmares will stop for Krista’s family. I know they’ll never stop for me,” he said.

Dittmeyer’s disappearance in April 2011 sparked an extensive search and nationwide media attention. Her infant daughter was found in a running car parked at the Cranmore Mountain Resort in North Conway. Four days later, Dittmeyer’s body was recovered from a snowmaking pond at the ski area.

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She was the victim of a scheme to steal drugs and money from her. On April 22, 2011, she went to Michael Petelis’ apartment in Ossipee, where Papile waited for her and clubbed her, said Senior Assistant Attorney General Jane Young.

Last year, the prosecution described Petelis as Dittmeyer’s friend and self-proclaimed protector.

During Thursday’s hearing, a family friend, Heidi Plourde, described Dittmeyer as a devoted mother, a champion of underdogs and a kind young woman.

LaNell Shackley, the victim’s mother, said Dittmeyer was a loving mother to her young daughter, Aliyah.

She told supporters and law enforcement officials who filled the courtroom how Dittmeyer will never see milestones in Aliyah’s life — her first day of school or her wedding. Her granddaughter will have only memories of her mother’s hugs, kisses and soft touch, and stories told by her family, she said.

“I don’t know what to say to her when she looks at a picture of her mom and asks me, ‘Where’s Momma?’” Shackley said.

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When Dittmeyer arrived at Petelis’ apartment building that night, Papile hit her about three times, covered her mouth and dragged her into a laundry area, Young said. The two men discussed the need to deal with the “problem,” which Young said Papile understood to mean killing her.

The men bound Dittmeyer with duct tape and put her in the trunk of her Nissan Sentra, which Papile drove north to the ski resort.

Dittmeyer wasn’t moving when Papile opened the trunk. He told authorities that he used his lifeguard training to check for a pulse and didn’t find one. Papile put her into a snowmaking pond he had helped to build when he worked at Cranmore, then pushed her body under the water and away from the shore, Young said.

Dittmeyer died from “prolonged cold-water submersion,” which Young said causes a series of incapacitating reflexes.

Papile left Dittmeyer’s car in front of the ski area’s recreation center with the motor running, a door open and the heat and flashers on. Aliyah, then 14 months old, was discovered unharmed in the back seat in the morning.

Petelis and a third man, Trevor Ferguson of Tamworth, N.H., picked up Papile at the ski resort. Papile gave Petelis some marijuana and cocaine, and gave Ferguson some gas money, Young said.

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The prosecutor didn’t say Thursday whether the drugs came from Dittmeyer.

Papile’s lawyer, Jesse Friedman, a New Hampshire public defender, would not say whether Papile was under the influence at the time of the attack. In response to a question from Judge Steven Houran, Papile said he was taking lithium, a medication for mood disorders.

Petelis, 29, and Ferguson, 24, are charged with conspiracy to commit robbery. Neither man has been indicted and neither had a court appearance scheduled as of Thursday.

Staff Writer Ann S. Kim can be contacted at 791-6383 or at:

akim@pressherald.com

Twitter: AnnKimPPH

 


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