On December 3, 1999, in the small town of Dexter, Maine, a horrific discovery was made inside a home on Church Street. Two-year-old Treven Cunnington, a male child, and 20-year-old Mindy Gould were found deceased. Gould had been babysitting Treven, the son of her close friend, at her sister's residence. The two were discovered lying face down on a bed, with pillows placed over their heads. Both had been killed by single gunshot wounds to the head, fired through the pillows.
The quiet community was left in shock and fear as police began a search for the person responsible for the double homicide.
The investigation quickly focused on Jeffrey Cookson, the 36-year-old ex-boyfriend of Mindy Gould. The relationship between Cookson and Gould had recently ended, and just days before the murders, Gould had obtained a restraining order against him. Early on the morning of December 18, 1999, authorities surrounded the Guilford home of Cookson's parents, where he had been staying, and arrested him. He was charged with two counts of murder for the deaths of Gould and Treven Cunnington. The weapon used in the killings was identified as a 9 mm handgun.
During the investigation and subsequent trial, it was revealed that shell casings matching those found at the murder scene were linked to a gun that Cookson was known to possess. Although the actual murder weapon was not recovered at the time of the trial, expert testimony connected a specific model of Taurus 9mm handgun owned by Cookson to the crime. The prosecution argued that Cookson's motive was his loss of control over Gould after she ended their relationship. Despite the defense's claim that Cookson was sleeping on his brother's couch at the time of the murders, a jury found him guilty on both counts of murder in December 2001. Jeffrey Cookson was later sentenced for his crimes.
