Pearle Cogswell, a 66-year-old female from Milo, Maine, died on August 9, 2002. Investigators determined she was shot with a handgun inside the couple s home by her husband, 75-year-old Eugene Cogswell, who then turned the gun on himself. The case was classified by the Maine State Police as a domestic murder-suicide.
Earlier that day, trouble in the home had already come to the attention of authorities.
According to contemporaneous reports, a dispute that began over a blueberry pie escalated; Pearle had contacted police to report domestic assault after her husband allegedly threw a glass of wine in her face. The confrontation culminated later with the fatal shooting and Eugene s suicide, ending a marriage of more than two decades in sudden violence.
State police records list the manner of death and identify Eugene as the sole suspect; because he died at the scene, there were no arrests. The homicide ledger for 2002 specifically notes the murder-suicide designation for Milo on August 9, confirming both the weapon used and the domestic circumstance.
In the years since, Pearle s name has been preserved in public memorial rolls for gun-violence victims, which echo the official account of the date, place, and circumstances of her death. These postings, alongside brief summaries compiled by crime-tracking archives, underscore the closed nature of the case and the absence of any additional suspects beyond her husband.
