Jean-Paul Poulain, a 62-year-old White male, was a well-known French cabaret singer in the Franco-American community of Augusta, Maine. His life, however, came to a violent end on the night of April 24, 2007, when he was shot in his School Street apartment. Poulain was still alive when emergency services arrived and, in his final moments inside the ambulance, was able to name the individuals who had attacked him.
He succumbed to his injuries while en route to a hospital.
The investigation into Poulain's death moved swiftly, leading to the arrests of 18-year-old Corey Swift and 21-year-old Mathiew Loisel within hours of the shooting. The motive for the attack appeared to be robbery, as Loisel had reportedly told an acquaintance that he intended to rob Poulain, believing the singer had money in Swiss bank accounts. On the night of the murder, Loisel, armed with a handgun, allegedly compelled Swift to accompany him to Poulain's residence. Swift later told police that Loisel was the one who shot Poulain in the chest. After the shooting, the handgun was hidden under a nearby shed and was later recovered by detectives.
In a televised interview, Loisel confessed to pulling the trigger, though he claimed it was as if his "finger moved without my mind thinking." He also provided an alternative motive to detectives, alleging that Poulain had sexually taken advantage of him a few months prior to the incident. Loisel's attorney requested a mental health evaluation, citing his client's "long-standing mental health issues." Both men were ultimately charged in connection with the murder.
Mathiew Loisel, the man who admitted to being the triggerman, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of Jean-Paul Poulain. Corey Swift pleaded guilty to felony murder, acknowledging his participation in a robbery that resulted in a death. He received a 10-year prison sentence for his role in the crime. Years later, in 2016, Swift would find himself in trouble with the law again, being arrested for a robbery at a convenience store shortly after his release from prison.
