PORTLAND, Maine (WMTW) - The Maine man who pleaded guilty to killing a couple in front of their children in downtown Westbrook has been sentenced to life in prison.

Marcel LaGrange, 26, also received a 50-year sentence for attempting to shoot and kill one of the children, an 11-year-old boy.

LaGrange’s sentencing was held Thursday at the Cumberland County Courthouse, a hearing he attended virtually.

In June 2023, LaGrange was charged in the shooting deaths of Brittney Cockrell and Michael Hayter.

Hayter, 41, and Cockrell, 36, were in a vehicle with their children, ages 7 and 11, when the shooting occurred.

Investigators said LaGrange did not know the victims.

“They did not provoke or initiate this violence into their lives,” said Assistant Attorney General Jen Ackerman.

The fol

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