In the quiet town of Limington, Maine, the morning of June 17, 2021, was shattered by a house fire on Hardscrabble Road. A retired firefighter driving by spotted the blaze around 5:13 a.m. and called for help. Responders who entered the home after extinguishing the flames made a grim discovery: the bodies of two people. The victims were identified as Cheryl Cote, a 47-year-old white woman, and her boyfriend, 45-year-old Daniel Perkins.
It was quickly determined that the fire was not the cause of their deaths; both had been shot.
The investigation immediately focused on Cheryl’s son, Matthew Cote, who was 21 at the time and lived at the home with the couple. A neighbor told authorities they had heard what sounded like gunshots between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. that morning. Inside the burned residence, investigators found rifle shell casings and a red plastic container like those used for gasoline. An alert was issued for Matthew, and police located him a short time later driving his mother’s Chevrolet Trailblazer in Limington. During his arrest, he reportedly told officers, “I knew this was coming,” and, “Once I snapped, I couldn’t stop.”
Matthew Cote was charged with two counts of murder and one count of arson. He initially pleaded not guilty and was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation. He later added a plea of not criminally responsible by reason of insanity. During the legal proceedings that followed, he was held at the York County Jail.
A jury ultimately found Matthew Cote guilty on all charges. During his trial, prosecutors revealed that he had fired a semi-automatic rifle at his mother and her boyfriend nearly 30 times before setting the house on fire. At his sentencing hearing in February 2026, family members of both victims shared emotional impact statements. Daniel Perkins's daughter remembered her father as the man who raised and protected her, while Cheryl Cote’s niece spoke of her aunt's lifelong dedication to her son.
Before the judge handed down his sentence, Matthew Cote, then 26, addressed the court and apologized to the families. He was sentenced to two life sentences for the murders and an additional 30 years in prison for the arson conviction. As of his sentencing in February 2026, the case is closed.
