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AUGUSTA, Maine — The teenager accused of a grisly double murder in central Maine had been on the radar of the Department of Health and Human Services since birth and was moved 17 different times by age 16, according to Wednesday court testimony.
Jason Hunnewell, 17, is charged with two counts of murder in the June 11 deaths of 43-year-old Christopher Hunnewell and 22-year-old Ty Carter, both of Chelsea. Hunnewell was 16 at the time of the homicides. Maine DHHS placed Jason Hunnewell with his cousin Christopher Hunnewell in 2023.
Testimony began Wednesday in a three-day hearing on whether the boy will be tried as an adult. It painted a picture of an often-disrupted home life that began when he was taken from his mother at birth due to her alcohol abuse, leading to a revolving door of placements and mental health issues that persisted up to the day of the killing.
The state’s child welfare department was first involved with Jason Hunnewell at his birth in 2009, Melissa Beaulieu, an administrator for the state program, testified at the Capital Judicial Center in Augusta. Beaulieu said Hunnewell’s mother had a blood alcohol content of 0.2% at the time of his birth, more than double the legal standard for driving under the influence. She was also believed to have used alcohol throughout the pregnancy.
The agency decided Hunnewell was safe with his father, who was on federal probation. His mother was not allowed contact with him. After six months DHHS ended its oversight of Hunnewell’s care, Beaulieu said.
But nearly four years later, an anonymous email was sent to the agency alleging unsafe living conditions. When the department investigated it found the boy’s bedroom was covered in animal urine and feces, as well as cigarette butts and empty alcohol bottles, she said.
The department took custody of Hunnewell, Beaulieu said. It started a revolving door of placements with foster parents and relatives. When Hunnewell was a preteen, he was placed in the custody of his uncle, Dale Hunnewell, who was subsequently arrested for drug trafficking.
The department tried to reunify Hunnewell after his uncle was released from jail but the conversation did not go well, Beaulieu said. Dale Hunnewell threw papers in the air and walked out of the conversation as Hunnewell was saying, “Uncle Dale, I love you,” Beaulieu said.
Multiple foster families reported behavior from Hunnewell that led to them saying they could not keep him, including a family with a newborn, Beaulieu said. Jason Hunnewell told the foster family that he had a dream about strangling the infant, she said.
In spring 2023, Hunnewell was hospitalized for suicidal ideation and having a plan, Beaulieu said. After a two-week stay, he spent a night in a hotel with a DHHS worker and then was placed with Christopher Hunnewell, she said.
Beaulieu’s testimony came at the start of a three-day bindover hearing, after which Judge Charles Dow will decide if Hunnewell will be tried as a juvenile or adult. A bindover hearing is when a judge hears testimony about the case and various evaluations, before deciding if a juvenile will be tried as an adult.
If tried as a juvenile and convicted, his sentence cannot exceed his 21st birthday. If tried as an adult and convicted, he faces a minimum of 25 years in prison for each charge under Maine law.
About 10 family members and friends gathered in the courtroom Wednesday to watch the start of the proceedings. DHHS wanted the testimony to happen under seal, but Dow ruled that it should be open to the public.
The killings were committed “aggressively, violently and intentionally with elements of premeditation,” Assistant Attorney General Katie Sibley said, telling the judge he needs to consider that in determining whether Hunnewell should be tried as an adult, she said.
Hunnewell’s lawyer, Kurt Peterson, argued against that at the start of the hearing. Hunnewell is receiving care while he is in custody at Long Creek Juvenile Center and being tried as an adult will not address the root of the problem, Peterson said.
“Jason is not a lost cause,” he said.
