An Auburn man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after killing a man and a teenager and then posing for a selfie with the loot.
47-year-old Aaron Aldrich was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole by Maine Superior Court Judge Jennifer Archer for the shooting death of 16-year-old Mohamed Aden and 21-year-old Mohamed Adan. After 90 minutes of deliberation, a jury convicted Aldrich of two counts of knowing or intentional murder and five years in prison for the prohibited use of a firearm.
On Feb. 24, 2023, authorities discovered the bodies of Aden and Adan in a Poland home at Tripp Lake Road after a welfare check. According to prosecutors, the defendant shot the two victims with a 9mm Glock handgun during a drug deal inside the home and stole their cash before posing for a selfie with the loot in hand.
A woman told investigators that the defendant had returned to her home on the day of the fatal incident, acting paranoid and watching the window. Furthermore, the witness also noticed a cut on Aldrich’s hands and some blood spatter on his shoes. During the trial, prosecutors told the jury how the defendant described the killings to a witness.
“I killed those two. I flanked them. I flogged them. He has found weaker, smaller, younger boys that he can go and take from,” said Assistant Attorney General Lisa Bogue, reported Law and Crime.
Aldrich apologized to the victims’ families while acknowledging it wouldn’t bring Aden and Adan back.
Aldrich’s defense team argued their client’s act was in self-defense and not intentional. Hence, they requested the court for a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison, highlighting the value Aldrich will add to society when sober.
The judge disagreed!
"His statements today do not change my conclusion. I think he was sorry he was caught. I think he's sorry he was convicted, but I do not conclude that he is sorry for what he did," said Archer during the sentencing hearing, according to WMTW.
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