U.S. Court of Appeals Affirms Conviction and Sentence of New Hampshire Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Charges Arising Out of Saco Home Invasion
Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that the First Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday affirmed the conviction and 20 years plus life in prison sentence of Gregory Owens, 62, formerly of Londonderry, New Hampshire, imposed in July 2016 in U.S. District Court by Judge Nancy Torresen. After a 10-day jury trial in February 2016, Owens was convicted of interstate domestic violence and using and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence in connection with a home invasion shooting in Saco, Maine on December 18, 2014.
According to trial testimony, Owens drove from New Hampshire to Maine intending to kill his wife who was an overnight guest at the home of friends living in Saco. During the home invasion, Owens shot his wife and the male home owner with a 9mm pistol. Both survived their injuries.
On appeal, Owens primarily challenged the district court’s suppression rulings, the sufficiency of the evidence at trial, and his sentence.
“This was an egregious crime by a remorseless criminal,” said U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank. “As the First Circuit recognized, it was solved by great police work. The Saco (ME) Police Department; the Londonderry (NH) Police Department; the Maine and New Hampshire State Police; the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory are all to be commended for their great work in solving this difficult case.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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