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Police recover three shell casings in Makayla Desantis homicide investigation
A young woman is dead after a shooting that her boyfriend claims was a mistake
A man in Maine has been charged with murder following the shooting of his girlfriend, despite initially claiming the firearm discharged by accident.
Austin Doucette, 24, was arrested after 23-year-old Makayla Desantis was discovered with fatal injuries inside their Carrabassett Valley condominium on 8 March.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Doucette made a frantic 911 call during which he was allegedly heard saying, “I can’t believe I did this” and “I’m sorry babe.”
In a subsequent emergency call, the defendant claimed the weapon “accidentally went off” and expressed a desire to avoid imprisonment, stating, “I would never do this.”
Desantis was airlifted to Maine Medical Centre in Portland but succumbed to her injuries. A subsequent autopsy determined she had been shot multiple times in the chest, officially ruling the death a homicide.
Crime scene investigators discovered a Smith & Wesson .45-calibre handgun on a sofa with the slide locked back and recovered three spent shell casings from the floor. Bullet damage was also documented on the furniture and through the floor into the flat below.
The victim’s sister has launched a fundraiser to support burial costs, describing Desantis as a selfless role model. She wrote, “Makayla did not deserve what happened to her. My sister always put other people before herself.” Doucette remains in custody, charged with intentional murder as the investigation continues.