Clinton man charged with murder in Waterville shooting denied bail

AUGUSTA – A Clinton man who allegedly shot and killed a Fairfield man in Waterville last month was denied bail Monday.

Richard Hoet, 53is accused of murder of Stephen Killam Oct. 15 in the parking lot of Mount Joseph of Waterville, a rehabilitation and nursing center at 7 Highwood St. in Waterville, prosecutors said.

Hatt wrongly believed Killam was having an affair with his longtime girlfriend, authorities said.

During the bail hearing at the Capital Judicial Center, Judge Michaela Murphy said there was sufficient probable cause to indicate that Hatt knowingly killed Killam and that Hatt would pose a significant risk to public safety if granted bail released.

Hatt allegedly approached a car driven by Killam in the parking lot of Mount Joseph in Waterville, where Killam and his girlfriend worked. Killam’s girlfriend was in the passenger seat. Hatt allegedly fired several shots into the windshield and then continued firing at Killam as he approached the driver’s side of the vehicle. Ackerman said 14 bullets were recovered from Killam’s body.

Earlier on the morning of the shooting, Hatt allegedly entered a home on Winter Street in Waterville and assaulted a man he apparently mistook for Killam. Assistant Attorney General Jen Ackerman said Hatt left when he learned he had the wrong person. He then decided that since he would likely end up in jail for the attack, he would seek out Killam and kill him.

Hatt admitted to police that he shot Killam with a 9mm handgun, according to an affidavit filed by State Police Detective Nicholas Watson. He also admitted that he “knew Stephen was dead and then shot more bullets out of spite and hatred.” He told police he shot several times until the gun’s slide locked. He said he was targeting the “center crowd” and after killing Killam, he considered suicide because he didn’t want to go to jail. Hatt apologized, Watson’s statement said, “for what others experienced, but felt Stephen deserved to be shot.”

Testimony showed Hatt suffered from delusions that Killam, 47, of Fairfield, was having an affair with a woman Hatt believed was his. girlfriend.Thomas Carey, one of two attorneys assigned to represent Hatt, said this belief was neither true nor based in reality.

Carey argued that Hatt suffers from mental health issues and also has major health issues that would not be effectively treated while in a county jail. Carey said Hatt would not pose a risk to society because his delusions centered entirely on his belief that Killam was having an affair with his girlfriend. Carey said the fact that Hatt mistook a random stranger for Killam, entered his home and attacked him with a gun is further evidence that Hatt was suffering from mental health issues that day.

“It’s very clear that the suspect had something significant going on with him and his ability to perceive reality at that moment,” Carey said. “He was operating in a completely different reality.”

Ackerman countered that killing the person he was fixated on doesn’t mean Hatt still isn’t a risk to others in society, including Killam’s girlfriend. She said Hatt should be held without bail because he is a flight risk, a risk to public safety and, with a history of violent crimes, likely to commit more crimes.

Killam’s girlfriend told police that she and Killam were driving to work together around 6 a.m. on October 15. As they parked outside Mount Joseph in Waterville, Hatt approached and shot a gun into the car, hitting Killam. She screamed, raised her hands and somehow was not hit by bullets. She said that after the shooting, Hatt fled in his truck, which she recognized from previous interactions.

Killam and his girlfriend had temporary protective orders against Hatt, police said. His girlfriend said a feud with Hatt had been going on since 2018.

Hatt has not yet entered a plea and has not yet been charged. He made his first court appearance on October 16.

Waterville Police officers responded to the scene on October 15 after receiving reports of multiple gunshots.

Witnesses reported seeing a black Chevrolet Colorado pickup leaving the scene. They gave the police the license plate number. Police were alerted that morning to be on the lookout for the truck, and just before 9 a.m. Chief Rusty Bell of the Clinton Police Department found the truck and Hatt in Clinton.

Bell, who said he had known Hatt for years, thought the man might go to his sister’s home on Battle Ridge Road in Clinton.

That’s where Bell found Hatt, standing with his sister and her husband on her lawn. Hatt surrendered to Bell, who arrested him. A 9mm handgun was found on Hatt, according to Watson’s statement. More firearms were found in the truck, and Hatt also gave a gun to his brother-in-law, but said it was not the weapon used in the shooting. He said he threw that gun away.

Hatt’s criminal record in Maine includes numerous convictions since 1990, including several counts of felony-level burglary and theft, several counts of misdemeanor-level assault, a misdemeanor-level assault on domestic violence, and misdemeanor-level counts of tampering with a witness, criminal threatening and aggravated assault, according to the state Bureau of Identification.

Several of Killam’s friends and family attended Monday’s hearing, though they said nothing. Jessica Killam, Stephen Killam’s sister, has previously described her brother as a loving, caring man who never hurt anyone, and said the family was struggling to cope with the loss.

Mount Joseph in Waterville, located at 7 Highwood St., was previously the Mount St. Joseph Nursing Home.

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