MACHIAS, Maine — A Northfield man was sentenced to life in prison Friday at the Washington County Superior Courthouse for murdering three people and attempting to murder one other more than two years ago in downeast Maine.
Thomas Bonfanti, 65, was ordered by the judge to life in prison for the murders of Samuel Powers, Shawn Curry, and Jennifer Bryant Flynn, and the attempted murder of Regina Long, the only surviving victim.
"I've shaked and cried for two and a half years," Long said.
Long said Bonfanti shot her multiple times in the head at her home, along with her boyfriend, Shawn Currey, who died from his injuries on Feb. 3, 2020.
"If my boyfriend hadn't been there, he would've just come in and just shot me in the head and left just like he did with the other two," Long said.
That same day, Bonfanti also went to the homes of Samuel Powers and Jennifer Bryant-Flynn, fatally shooting them both in the head.
"He went from house to house to house, he knew exactly who he wanted to kill. It's miraculous that Regina Long survived," Bud Ellis, asst. attorney general said.
It was an emotional morning in the courtroom. Long gave a statement before the judge along with family and loved ones of those who were killed, including Bryant Flynn's 17-year-old daughter.
Christie Bryant, Bryant Flynn's mother, said today's sentencing of life in prison is one step closer to closure for her family.
"He doesn't get to run around with a gun anymore, so that's a relief," Christie Bryant said.
Though Bonfanti pleaded guilty, he claims he shot two of the victims by accident and the other two in self-defense, which his own attorney acknowledged was a tough sell.
Bonfanti was known to the victims, but a motive in this case is still unclear.
"As the family members were saying, as the judge alluded to, there's nothing that can come close to making up for the losses these people suffered," Ellis said.
Long said she is still healing from the trauma, just recently moving back into her home where her boyfriend was murdered, still thinking about what happened and those she lost every day.
"Maybe they're in a better place than I am... I hope," Long said.