John Jefferson
Insets, left to right: Douglas Michaud (WGME), Randal J. Hennessey (WGME). Background: The location where Michaud was killed (WGME).
A Maine man will spend the rest of his life in prison for the “execution” killing of his landlord, who had been trying to evict him.
Randal J. Hennessey, 33, learned his fate on Wednesday in the death of Douglas Michaud, 31. He was convicted of murder in July. His conviction came after he rejected multiple plea deals.
Hennessey shot Michaud several times in the chest on the front porch of an apartment on Union Street in Biddeford on Sept. 14, 2021, before leaving, returning and shooting Michaud in the head at close range, local CBS affiliate WGME reported, citing an affidavit.
Hennessey rode off on a dirt bike, shouting in Michaud’s girlfriend’s direction, “Welcome to Biddeford (expletive)” as she held Michaud, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported. He was arrested hours later by a U.S. Marshals task force in Durham, New Hampshire, when his dirt bike ran out of gas, the newspaper reported.
At his trial, Hennessey took the stand, claiming the shooting was self-defense after Michaud lunged at him, the Portland Press Herald reported.
“I knew he was going to cause some serious injury,” said Hennessey. “He just came at me, and I had a reaction of fear and adrenaline, and I just pulled my weapon as fast as I could.”
Michaud’s girlfriend testified her boyfriend had been trying to evict Hennessey after a disagreement about motorcycles outside the apartment that he would “flip and sell.”
Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Ackerman challenged the defendant, noting Hennessey’s cellphone background photo of a green and white family crest with the phrase, “I live by force and arms.”
“That’s what Randal Hennessey decided to have for his phone wallpaper,” Ackerman said. “That’s exactly how he lived on Sept. 14, 2021. He solved his problem with force and arms — and that’s how Doug Michaud lost his life.”
At Hennessey’s sentencing, Somerset County Superior Court Justice Richard Mulhern agreed with prosecutors that Michaud’s death was an “execution,” the Portland Press Herald reported.
“He seemed to place himself as the victim,” Mulhern said. “He seemed to join his family and Mr. Michaud’s family as, somehow, co-victims, but he should not do that. He alone is responsible for the loss the Michaud family has suffered.”
A GoFundMe page was set up to support Michaud’s girlfriend and their baby boy.
“Jamie and her son are in for a long road and certain to face many obstacles that we will never fully understand,” the page said. “However, we can at least help alleviate some of the financial burden. Please join us in donating towards the expenses of Jamie and her son’s first year together.”
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