AUGUSTA, Maine - Family members of murder victim Amy Theriault, of the northern Aroostook County town of St. Francis, are pressing lawmakers to enact a measure that would automatically require a life sentence for murder resulting from domestic violence.
In the spring of 2014, Jesse Marquis stabbed and shot Theriault to death the day after she broke off their relationship.
Theriault's mother, Barbara, asked lawmakers to require a life sentence for domestic violence murders. "Vengeance is common in domestic violence murders. Those types of murders are vicious and revengeful, deliberately intended to inflict severe pain and suffering on the victim, and those left behind.”
The legislation is sponsored by Senate Democratic Leader Troy Jackson, of Allagash. The Criminal Law Advisory Commission opposes the bill, saying murder does not always warrant a life sentence.
