In the summer of 2012, the small town of Waldoboro, Maine, was rocked by the violent death of 34-year-old Norman "Nor" Benner Jr., a White male. His life was cut short in a tragic series of events that unfolded within the confines of a home on Friendship Road where he was staying with his girlfriend.
On the morning of Monday, July 23, 2012, Benner's sister, Kimberly Simmons, made a horrifying discovery.
After being unable to reach her brother over the weekend, she went to the residence and found him deceased in his bed. Nearby lay his 25-year-old girlfriend, Arline Lawless, who was incoherent and suffering from a gunshot wound to her face.
Initially, there was confusion and speculation surrounding the circumstances of the shooting. Benner's family was adamant that he was the victim and not the instigator, telling reporters that he had been trying to end his relationship with Lawless and was afraid of her. They claimed to have dropped him off at the house on Saturday afternoon, only to find him cold to the touch on Monday morning, while Lawless was still alive. State Police initially stated that either Benner or Lawless was responsible for the shootings.
The investigation soon unraveled a grim narrative. The state medical examiner's office determined that Norman Benner had died from a close-contact gunshot wound to the head. As Arline Lawless recovered from her injuries at a hospital in Portland, the focus of the investigation shifted towards her. According to a police affidavit, Lawless eventually confessed to investigators that she had shot Benner in the back of the head while he was sleeping. Her motive, she explained, was her fear that he was planning to leave her for another woman. She then turned the gun on herself in a failed suicide attempt.
In August 2012, Arline Lawless was arrested and charged with the murder of Norman Benner. She initially pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. However, she later changed her plea to guilty. In July 2013, a judge sentenced her to 35 years in prison for the murder. The court heard that Lawless had acted out of jealousy and a sense of entitlement, treating Benner like a piece of property. The judge described her act of shooting him while he was defenseless as profoundly cowardly. The tragic end to a troubled relationship left a family mourning the loss of a son and brother, and a community searching for answers in the wake of a senseless act of violence.
