The man charged with murder in the killing of four people in Bowdoin and shooting of three others on Interstate 295 Tuesday had just been released from prison and posted several messages on Facebook in the days before about his struggles and desire for forgiveness.
“Life as a whole is suffering. You work for the duration, you get sick, people you love die, and your guaranteed to have ‘bad days.’ You die and lose everything you spent your life obtaining. There is more to it than meets the eye. Life is a trial for what is to come,” Joseph Eaton, 34, of Bowdoin, wrote on Facebook on Monday.
The same day, Eaton posted a video saying he was “scared to death about what people would say” about it. In the video, he is crying as he talks about how people “claim to be Christian and can’t forgive somebody or understand what they go through.”
“You can’t give someone a second chance, but you say you’re a Christian. How does that make sense? Why can’t you just try to take it slow, try to get to know the person. What good’s it do to hate somebody? It destroys you,” he said.
Eaton goes on to ask for forgiveness and to say he’s been dealing with trauma.
“Being molested and stuff you know, it destroys somebody,” he said. “I know I’m good for my kids, and I just wish someone would forgive me.”
He does not say whose forgiveness he is seeking.
Police have not yet released the names of the victims or provided any information about their connection to Eaton. On Wednesday, police said one of the I-295 victims remains in critical condition at Maine Medical Center but did not release updated conditions of the other two victims who were taken to the hospital. Their injuries have been described as non-life-threatening.
Eaton’s criminal history in Maine and Florida dates back to 2013 and includes convictions for felony aggravated assault, domestic violence and violence against a law enforcement officer, according to jail and court records in both states. He has served time in prison for possessing a concealed firearm as a convicted felon.
Maine State Police identified Eaton Tuesday as a Bowdoin resident, but a criminal background check through the agency showed his last address was at the state prison in Warren.
Eaton’s criminal history in Maine also includes convictions for felony aggravated assault in 2014, operating under the influence in 2015 and assault and domestic violence assault in 2016. In March 2022, he was found guilty of assault, a felony, in Knox County and sentenced to eight months, according to a criminal background check.
He was released from the Maine Correctional Center in Windham last Friday after serving time for a probation violation, according to the Maine Department of Corrections.
In 2018, Eaton pleaded guilty in Nassau County, Florida, to possessing a concealed firearm as a convicted felon and three counts of aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer. He was sentenced to three years in prison and paid $518 in court costs and fines, according to court records.
Eaton was released from prison on Feb. 15, 2021, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.
For a short time in early 2018 just before his arrest in Florida, Eaton posted on Twitter about police brutality, inmate deaths and holding law enforcement accountable for their actions.
“This is as bad as it gets as far as police corruption goes,” he said in a short video. “People need to be held accountable. This is all this is about. You guys really screws up when you did this to me and I’m going to make sure your badges are no longer on your best at the end of this in every legal sense. Game on, guys.”
Eaton did not say what police allegedly did to him but said he was not getting treatment and had to beg for an ice pack. In a second video posted the same day, Eaton said he was starting a “lifelong fight” that he wanted to be a legacy for both of his sons.
Police say they will release more information about the shootings in Bowdoin and Yarmouth at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Department of Public Safety in Augusta. Eaton is expected to make his first court appearance later this week.