A man, who police say killed a man and tried to kill a woman during a robbery in Portland, has pleaded guilty at the last minute, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Damion Butterfield was one of four defendants charged with the murder of 43-year-old Derald Coffin and the attempted murder of 29-year-old Annabelle Harnett during spring of last year.
The three other defendants, Thomas MacDonald, Jonathan Geisinger and Anthony Osborne, were charged with felony murder for their role in setting up the alleged plot to rob Coffin and Hartnett.
In April 2022, Coffin was in a vehicle with Hartnett parked on Woodford Street in Portland when they were shot by a group of people. Coffin died. Hartnett was shot but survived.
Days later, one of the defendants, MacDonald, entered the Westbrook Police Department, saying he wanted to confess to murder and told police Butterfield was the one who shot Coffin.
On Tuesday, Butterfield pleaded guilty to murder, aggravated attempted murder, robbery and possessing a firearm as a prohibited person after the jury reached a verdict, according to the Press Herald.
Butterfield chose not to hear the jury’s verdict.
Because of his guilty plea, the jury’s verdict will not be made public.
In taking the deal, Butterfield agreed to serve 35 years in prison. He also cannot appeal his plea.
