PORTLAND — A New Hampshire man was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison plus 20 years for attempting to kill his wife and a friend in Saco in December 2014.

Gregory Owens’ son called him a monster and the judge called him cold-blooded, but Owens maintained at his sentencing in U.S. District Court that he did not commit the crime.

During the morning hours of Dec. 18, 2014, Owens drove from his Londenderry, New Hampshire, home to the Hillview Avenue home of Steven and Carol Chabot, where his wife, Rachel, was staying.

According to prosecutors, he intended to kill his wife of 35 years so that he could be free to have a relationship with his girlfriend in Wisconsin, who had recently found out that he had lied about being in the process of getting a divorce.

Rachel Owens, then 55, had been staying with the Chabots in her hometown of Saco to give her husband some respite from caring for her, as she was ill with signs of early dementia.

Gregory Owens, a 59- year-old former Army marksman, shot both Steven Chabot and Rachel Owens with a 9-millimeter pistol. Both survived the shootings, though Rachel Owens has a bullet in her head that cannot be removed and a titanium rod in her leg, and has limited use of her right hand.

A federal jury found Owens guilty in February on federal charges of interstate domestic violence and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Owens to 20 years for the domestic violence charge and life in prison on the other charge. He has also been ordered to pay more than $80,000 in restitution.

Owens spoke at the sentencing for about 30 minutes, maintaining his innocence in a long-winded speech that at one point strayed on a tangent about government corruption and the inability to get a fair trial. He said he plans to appeal the jury’s decision.

His son, Wayne Owens, called him a selfish narcissist who will never change or take any responsibility for his actions. “He is a monster,” said Wayne Owens on Tuesday.

Rachel, who now lives in Saco with family, said what her husband did to her was unforgivable. She said she feels like she is imprisoned because she can’t do things she used to, and she feels like a burden to her friends and family because she frequently has to ask for help.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Darcie McElwee described Rachel Owens as a kind, funny and “delightful person” whose life has been forever changed.

“The wake of destruction behind this man is extraordinary,” McElwee said. “Rachel Owens is a survivor.”

However, “she will have to wake up every day knowing he’d rather have her killed then divorce her,” McElwee said.

The Chabots’ lives are changed as well, she said, and they will never have the same sense of safety as they did before Gregory Owens broke into their home.

Torresen agreed with Wayne Owens that Gregory Owens will never change. She described Gregory Owens as a “cold blooded” man who premeditated the murder of his wife and showed a lack of conscience.

Torresen called Gregory Owens’ trial testimony “bunk.”

“The jury didn’t believe you. I don’t believe you, no one here believes you,” she said.

Both Rachel Owens and her son said after the sentencing that Gregory Owens got what he deserved.

“I got my sentence, and he got his,” said Rachel Owens in a brief interview after the sentencing.

“Words can’t really express how I feel right now. … I’m happy and sad at the same time,” said Wayne Owens.

Owens has also been indicted on state charges of four counts of aggravated attempted murder, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of elevated aggravated assault, two counts of elevated aggravated assault with indifference, two counts of aggravated assault with a weapon, one count of burglary with a firearm and one count of criminal mischief.

He is scheduled for a court conference regarding the state charges in September.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.

Copy the Story Link