On a summer day in New Gloucester, Maine, the life of 27-year-old Caucasian female Renee Susan Estes Sandora was tragically cut short. On July 25, 2011, Sandora and her friend, 28-year-old Trevor Mills, were fatally shot outside her home. The brutal act was carried out by Joel Hayden, the father of Sandora's four children.
The violence unfolded in the presence of their oldest child, who was seven years old at the time.
Hayden, who was estranged from Sandora, had a history of drug addiction and paranoia. He had accused Sandora of having a romantic relationship with Mills, a longtime friend who was visiting from New Bedford, Massachusetts. This jealousy is believed to have been the motive for the killings. After shooting Mills in the doorway of the house, Hayden shot Sandora once before she could make a 911 call, and then a second time at point-blank range.
Following the shootings, Hayden fled the scene in Mills' Cadillac, leading police on a high-speed chase that ended when he crashed the vehicle in York County. He was subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of murder. During his trial, his own son bravely testified against him, recounting the horrific events he had witnessed. Hayden was found guilty of the murders and sentenced to two life terms in prison.
Renee Sandora was remembered as a caring and hardworking young woman who was dedicated to her four children. At the time of her death, she was volunteering full-time for a non-profit transportation organization and was just weeks away from owning her own home. Her four children were taken in and raised by their maternal grandparents. Years later, a Maine State Trooper who had been one of the first to arrive at the scene and had comforted the children in the immediate aftermath was coincidentally reunited with them. In the years following his conviction, Joel Hayden has made unsuccessful attempts to appeal his sentence and regain his parental rights.
