On November 30, 2013, the life of 22-year-old Matthew Rairdon, a White male, was tragically cut short in what was determined to be a murder-suicide. The incident unfolded in Westbrook, Maine, where Rairdon, a recent nursing graduate from St. Joseph's College and an emergency room nurse at Mercy Hospital, was ambushed and killed by his ex-boyfriend, 30-year-old Patrick Milliner.
The two had recently ended a romantic relationship, a fact that led authorities to classify Rairdon's death as a domestic violence homicide.
The events of that fatal night began to surface when Rairdon's roommate discovered the bodies of both men inside their apartment. Investigators believe that Milliner, dressed in black winter clothing, lay in wait for Rairdon to return from his shift at the hospital. Just after midnight, as Rairdon was opening the door to his apartment, Milliner attacked, shooting him in the head and chest. After killing Rairdon, Milliner then turned the gun on himself, dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The weapon used in the murder-suicide, a. 40-caliber Glock handgun, was found near Milliner's body. It was later revealed that Milliner had purchased the gun just hours before the shooting.
The investigation into the tragic event brought to light more details about the perpetrator and his motivations. Milliner, a new correctional guard at the Maine Correctional Facility in Windham, had left behind a long, rambling post on Facebook and a written note in the apartment, expressing his distress over the breakup. This evidence, combined with the circumstances of the ambush, painted a grim picture of a premeditated act of violence. The community mourned the loss of Rairdon, who was remembered as a caring and dedicated young man with a bright future ahead of him. His death marked the 23rd homicide in Maine that year and the 10th related to domestic violence, highlighting a tragic and ongoing issue. No arrests were made as the sole suspect took his own life.
