AUGUSTA — Roland L. Cummings was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for stabbing a 92-year-old Waterville man to death as he slept in his bed.
Cummings, 46, of Waterville, was convicted of murder, burglary and theft, all in connection with killing Aurele Fecteau on May 20, 2014.
Justice Michaela Murphy said a life sentence without the possibility of parole was warranted in the case.
“This murder was an utterly unprovoked attack on a 92-year-old man who was sleeping, who could not defend himself, get away or call out for help,” Murphy said during the hearing at the Capital Area Judicial Center. “The court expressly finds that this is exactly the kind of factor or factors that society would recognize as deserving of the ultimate penal sanction.”
Fifteen relatives and friends of Fecteau watched the sentencing hearing.
“We are beyond thrilled,” Lorraine Fecteau, one of Fecteau’s daughters-in-law, said after the sentencing.
She issued a statement on behalf of family and friends, saying, “Our God is a God of mercy, but he is also a God of justice. Justice is what we sought in this courtroom today, and justice is what we got.”
The defense team of Darrick Banda and Ronald Bourget recommended a sentence of 30 years. A murder conviction in Maine carries a minimum sentence of 25 years.
The attorneys said in a memo prepared prior to sentencing that Cummings had begun to turn away from a life of suboxone abuse and partying and intended to seek a job and spend more time with his family. They said Cummings was consistently compliant with investigators in the case and had no criminal record of violence. He was on probation for burglary and theft when he committed the murder.
At trial, a forensic scientist testified that Cummings’ DNA was found on the out-turned pockets of three pairs of Fecteau’s trousers that were found in a heap on the floor by Fecteau’s body.
Cummings pleaded not guilty to the charges and did not testify in his own defense.
The state, through Assistant Attorneys General Leane Zainea and Donald Macomber, had sought a sentence of 55 years, saying in a sentencing memo that Fecteau “suffered multiple injuries that involved extreme savagery” and that the crime was the “ultimate act of elder abuse.” After the killing, Cummings stole some of Fecteau’s valuables, the prosecution said.
“The reason, the motive for Aurele’s death was, from the state’s perspective, for pecuniary gain,” Zainea argued Thursday. She said he wanted valuables so he could buy illegal drugs.
Prior to the sentencing, Murphy rejected a defense motion for a new trial. She imposed a 10-year sentence for the burglary conviction and a two-year sentence on the theft conviction and made them concurrent with the life sentence.
Cummings, wearing a dark green jail uniform, did not speak at the hearing.
The defense attorneys previously indicated they would appeal.
Betty Adams can be contacted at 621-5631 or at:
badams@centralmaine.com
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