On a quiet Sunday morning, October 16, 2016, 31-year-old Douglas "D.J." Morin Jr., a White/Caucasian male from Oakfield, Maine, told his father he was heading out to run some errands. It was the last time his family would see him alive. Later that day, around 10:30 a.m., Morin's body was discovered inside a car on the remote PD Road in Sherman, a dirt road primarily used by hunters and loggers. An autopsy would later confirm that he had died from multiple gunshot wounds, and his death was officially ruled a homicide. News of the violent death in the normally quiet community was troubling to local residents.
Douglas Morin Jr. was described by his family as a kind person who loved his job as a truck driver and was getting his life back on track. He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed riding his Harley, hunting, fishing, and four-wheeling. He was particularly close to his family, especially his young niece. His father expressed profound shock and disbelief, stating that he couldn't imagine anyone wanting to hurt his son. The family was left devastated, grappling with the sudden and violent loss of a loved one who was looking forward to celebrating his 32nd birthday later that month.
The investigation into Morin's death, led by the Maine State Police, soon revealed that the motive was a drug-related robbery. The investigation led to the arrests of three individuals from Massachusetts: Marcus Asante, Tia Leigh Ludwick, and Darin Goulding. Prosecutors detailed a plan in which Ludwick, who was Morin's cousin, arranged to buy a large quantity of marijuana from him. She, along with Asante and Goulding, traveled to a remote location in Sherman for the transaction. It was there that Morin was robbed and shot multiple times.
In the ensuing legal proceedings, Tia Leigh Ludwick pleaded guilty to murder and robbery and was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Darin Goulding pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of robbery in exchange for testifying against Marcus Asante and was facing up to 15 years in prison. Following a trial in which Goulding testified, Marcus Asante was found guilty of murder for being the one who fatally shot Douglas Morin Jr. during the robbery. The stolen marijuana and the murder weapon were later found in the apartment Asante shared with Ludwick.
