A Litchfield man who was indicted last month on two manslaughter charges in the deaths of two Litchfield residents was found dead Tuesday morning at his house.
Deputies from the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office found Shawn W. Metayer’s body when they responded to his home shortly after 11:30 a.m. after receiving a report of an unattended death.
“There was nothing suspicious at the scene, and it is believed that Mr. Metayer suffered a medical event,” according to a statement issued by the Sheriff’s Office.
“The Medical Examiner’s Office will be involved with the investigation tomorrow (Wednesday), and should there be any further details, that information will be released when it becomes available.”
Shawn W. Metayer
Metayer, 60, was arrested in November on charges of manslaughter and drunken driving following a head-on crash Nov. 9 on Hallowell Road.
Police said Metayer was driving his Lincoln sport utility vehicle on Hallowell Road when he crossed the centerline and struck the pickup truck driven by Derek Trudeau, 48.
Both Trudeau and his wife, Stephanie Trudeau, 40, were killed on impact. The couple had a 9-year-old daughter.
Metayer’s arrest came after he was released from Maine Medical Center in Portland, where he had been taken to be treated for injuries suffered in the crash.
At the end of January, Metayer was indicted by a Kennebec County grand jury on two counts of manslaughter.
In an affidavit seeking an arrest warrant for Metayer, Trooper James Moore of the Maine State Police wrote he could smell intoxicating liquors on Metayer’s breath. When asked if he had been drinking, Metayer said he had had three drinks.
Police later confirmed he had been at a bar in Lewiston and he had bought four drinks there. When Metayer’s blood-alcohol level was tested, it was more than twice the legal limit.
Metayer was a firefighter and paramedic for 25 years for the city of Lewiston. After that, he worked as a nurse anesthetist, but at the time of his bail hearing in November he was not working.
Metayer’s next court date was set for March 10.
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