In the small community of Prentiss, Maine, a friendship ended in a shocking act of violence in the autumn of 2007. On November 8th, 70-year-old Mario Sonny Litterio, a male resident of the town, was killed by a man he considered his best friend. His body was later discovered in a wooded area, leaving his family and the community to grapple with the senselessness of the crime.
The man responsible for Litterio's death was his 48-year-old friend, Joseph Dumas.
The events leading up to the murder began when Dumas claimed to have wounded a deer and asked Litterio for assistance in tracking it. Litterio retrieved his. 38-caliber revolver and the two men headed into the woods near a camp on Tar Ridge Road where Dumas had been working.
The situation took a dark turn when Litterio handed his gun to Dumas as he stepped aside to relieve himself. At that moment, Dumas turned the weapon on his friend, shooting him multiple times. He first shot Litterio twice in the shoulder and twice in the head with Litterio's own revolver. In a final, brutal act, Dumas then used his own. 50-caliber muzzleloading rifle to shoot Litterio in the head again.
Following the discovery of Litterio's body, Joseph Dumas was arrested and charged with murder. During the subsequent trial, it was revealed that Dumas had been on a cocaine binge on the day of the killing. His defense attorney argued for a manslaughter conviction, claiming Dumas was in a state of cocaine-induced psychosis and did not intentionally murder his friend. However, the prosecution contended that despite his intoxication, Dumas was capable of goal-oriented behavior. The jury ultimately found Joseph Dumas guilty of the intentional and knowing murder of Mario Litterio. The verdict brought a measure of justice to Litterio's family, though the motive behind the tragic and violent end to a long-standing friendship remained a painful and unanswered question.
