On a summer evening in Biddeford, Maine, the life of 42-year-old Russell C. "Chris" Lavoie, a White male from the neighboring town of Old Orchard Beach, was brought to a violent and tragic end. On July 6, 2014, Lavoie and another man, 37-year-old Jeffrey Lude of Biddeford, were fatally shot inside an apartment at 19 Western Avenue around 7 p.m. When police arrived at the scene, they found a chaotic situation, with neighbors initially mistaking the gunshots for fireworks.
Lavoie was transported to a local hospital but ultimately succumbed to his injuries, while Lude died in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. The medical examiner later confirmed that both men died from multiple gunshot wounds in what was ruled a double homicide.
The investigation into the deaths of Lavoie and Lude quickly revealed that the incident was not a random act of violence. State Police detectives worked through the night, interviewing neighbors and witnesses. It was determined that Lavoie and Lude had a connection to the individuals in the apartment and had gone there for a specific reason. Investigators learned that the two men had entered the apartment armed with a pellet gun and a rubber mallet. Their intent, according to authorities, was to assault a man named Fuquan "P" Prince Wilson, a 34-year-old from the Bronx, New York, and to steal drugs from him.
A violent confrontation erupted inside the apartment, during which Wilson, who had a lengthy criminal history primarily involving drug charges, opened fire on Lavoie and Lude. In the aftermath of the shooting, Wilson fled the scene, and a warrant was issued for his arrest on a charge of possession of a firearm by a felon. Authorities believed he had left the state of Maine, and for a time, his whereabouts remained unknown. Witnesses reported seeing two men and two women fleeing the residence after the gunshots rang out.
The search for Fuquan Wilson continued for several years. In 2017, he was apprehended and brought to justice for the deaths of Russell Lavoie and Jeffrey Lude. In a plea agreement, Wilson pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter. As a result of his plea, two murder charges against him were dismissed. The agreement stipulated that he would serve no more than ten years in prison for his role in the fatal shootings. This legal resolution brought a close to the case that began with a violent encounter in a Biddeford apartment and ended the lives of two men.
