In the early morning hours of May 8, 2010, a 911 call shattered the rural tranquility of Turner, Maine, leading police to the East Hebron Road home of Jane Tetreault. Inside, the 38-year-old female was found deceased from a gunshot wound. The grim discovery was made after authorities received a call around 3:30 a.m. One of her two sons, a 17-year-old, was present in the home at the time of the incident.
Jane, who was born in Bangor and had settled in Turner after a childhood in Lewiston, was remembered for her infectious laugh, compassion, and as a dedicated and loving mother.
A short distance from the residence, law enforcement located Jane's husband, 45-year-old Brian Nichols. He was taken into custody in his vehicle shortly after deputies arrived at the scene. Later that same day, Nichols was charged with the murder of his wife. He was subsequently held at the Androscoggin County Jail without bail. Investigators learned that Nichols himself had made the 911 call, confessing to the shooting.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Nichols' motive was a belief that his wife was having an affair, a claim that police found to be without evidence. It also came to light that family members had been so concerned about his increasingly erratic behavior that they had made plans to have him involuntarily committed for a psychiatric evaluation on the very day of the murder. Nichols and Tetreault, who both worked at the same cleaning service franchise, had been married since 2003.
In April 2012, Brian Nichols pleaded guilty to the murder of his wife. The following month, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison. In court, it was detailed that Jane had been shot at very close range in her bed. During the sentencing, Nichols expressed remorse, particularly to his sons. He later appealed his sentence, arguing it was excessive, but the Maine Supreme Judicial Court upheld the original 40-year term. A subsequent attempt to gain a new trial, based on claims of ineffective legal counsel and that he was pressured into his guilty plea, was also unsuccessful.
