On a Saturday morning in Berwick, Maine, the quiet of a School Street neighborhood was shattered by the sound of gunfire. When police responded to a report of a shooting just after 9 a.m. on May 13, 2023, they discovered two men suffering from gunshot wounds inside a home. One of the men was 41-year-old Edward Badeau, a male resident of Berwick. The other was the 25-year-old homeowner, Christopher Utt. Both men were transported to area hospitals for their injuries.
Badeau was taken to Wentworth-Douglas Hospital in Dover, New Hampshire, where he ultimately succumbed to his wounds. His death was ruled a homicide.
The investigation that followed, conducted by both the Berwick Police and Maine State Police, pieced together the events of that morning. It was determined that Badeau had arrived at Utt's residence, exited his vehicle, and fired a handgun into the air multiple times before forcing his way through the front door. An exchange of gunfire then erupted between Badeau and Utt at the threshold of Utt's bedroom. Utt also sustained serious injuries and was transported first to Portsmouth Medical Center and then to Massachusetts General Hospital for surgery.
After a thorough investigation lasting several weeks, the Maine Attorney General's Office reviewed the case. Based on the evidence, they concluded that Christopher Utt had acted in self-defense when he shot Edward Badeau. As a result of this finding, it was announced in July 2023 that no criminal charges would be filed against Utt in connection with Badeau's death. Authorities stated that Utt was still recovering from the injuries he sustained during the incident.
