On a tragic day in June of 2011, the quiet town of Dexter, Maine, was shaken by the violent deaths of 12-year-old Monica Raye Lake, a White female, her 13-year-old brother Coty, and their 38-year-old mother, Amy Lake. The three were found deceased in their home on Shore Road on the morning of June 13, 2011, victims of a devastating act of domestic violence.
The person responsible for their deaths was Steven Lake, the 37-year-old estranged husband of Amy and father to Monica and Coty.
The couple had been separated for about a year and were in the process of a divorce. Court records and police reports from the time paint a grim picture of a tumultuous relationship marked by threats and fear. Amy had secured a protection from abuse order against her husband after a previous incident in June 2010, where he had threatened the family. As part of his bail conditions, Steven Lake was prohibited from having any contact with his estranged wife.
On that Monday morning, a concerned friend of the family noticed Steven Lake's vehicle in the driveway of Amy Lake's home and alerted the authorities when Amy and her children did not arrive at Ridge View Community School, where Amy was a beloved teacher. A Dexter police officer was dispatched for a well-being check and, upon arrival, heard a succession of gunshots from within the house. The home was soon surrounded by law enforcement, who attempted to make contact with anyone inside for several hours to no avail.
Later that afternoon, after a standoff with no communication from inside, the state police tactical team made entry into the home. Inside, they discovered the bodies of Monica, Coty, Amy, and Steven Lake in the living room. Investigators determined that Steven Lake had used a shotgun to murder his wife and two children before turning the weapon on himself in a horrific murder-suicide. It was later reported that he was also armed with a handgun and a knife and had spread a flammable liquid throughout the house, though it was never ignited. A relative of Steven Lake suggested that his anger over the divorce and being denied access to his children, particularly his inability to attend his son's recent eighth-grade graduation, may have been a contributing factor to his actions. The incident prompted a deep sense of shock and grief within the Dexter community and led to broader discussions about the effectiveness of the legal system in protecting victims of domestic violence.
