Mars Hill man sentenced to 10 years in prison
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
SENTENCED — Mark Stetson, right, of Mars Hill speaks with his attorney Luke Rossignol during a sentencing hearing in Aroostook County Superior Court. Stetson was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with 10 of those years suspended, for trying to hire someone to kill his ex-wife.
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON — A Mars Hill man will spend the next 10 years behind bars for trying to hire someone to kill his ex-wife.
Mark Stetson, 43, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with 10 years suspended, by Judge E. Allen Hunter Wednesday following a lengthy sentencing hearing. Hunter said he took considerable time deliberating what an appropriate sentence should be because there were very few cases to reference in Maine’s history.
“Even for folks who have worked in the criminal justice system for as long as I have — and that is going on 37 years — we have very little experience with the crime of solicitation,” Hunter said. “We have thousands of cases where we deal with other criminal activities, but solicitation is something we see rarely. There are only a handful of cases going back to the early 1980s.”
Hunter spent an hour and 30 minutes in his chamber reviewing the material before coming up with a sentence he felt was appropriate for the crime. The judge said it appeared that the only motive for the crime was “anger, jealousy and frustration over a failed marriage.”
Judge Hunter said the taped conversation between Stetson and a fellow inmate with whom Stetson was trying to hire for the murder showed a man with little regard for the woman’s life.
“This was not a conversation engaged in by a couple of guys having too much beer at the bar,” he said. “This crime, rather, was a product of reflection. It was planned and premeditated.”
Assistant District Attorney Kurt Kafferlin said the state was seeking a 20-year sentence because of the escalating nature of the crimes being committed against Kari Bradstreet of Bridgewater, Stetson’s ex-wife. The couple were married for 15 years, and have a 17-year-old son together.
Kafferlin characterized Stetson as repeat offender who verbally threatened his ex-wife, struggled with drug problems and had a history of violent behavior. Stetson’s prior convictions all centered around his ex-wife, including four misdemeanor cases of violating conditions of a protection from abuse order or terrorizing, starting in 2009.
Stetson was first arrested for domestic violence following an incident at the couple’s home in Bridgewater on March 25, 2009. Several similar incidents took place resulting in additional domestic violence charges being levied against Stetson.
He was arrested on charges of criminal solicitation to commit murder on March 10, 2011.
Defense attorney Luke Rossignol said it was important for the court to hear “Mark’s side of the story.” He painted a much different picture of his client, stating he was a loving father and husband, a hard worker and a veteran who served his country. Rossignol also stated his client took ownership for his actions when he agreed to drop his request for a jury trial and pleaded guilty to the crime.
Rossignol suggested a sentence of 30 months to eight years was more appropriate as it fell in line with previous solicitation cases in the state and also given the fact that Stetson had no other criminal record aside from the incidents involving his ex-wife.
The solicitation for murder plot unfolded on Jan. 28, 2011, when Stetson was in custody at the Aroostook County Jail. Jail Administrator James Foss reported that an inmate alleged Stetson attempted to hire him to kill his ex-wife. An elaborate plan was put in motion to wire tap the inmate so the dialogue between the two could be recorded. The man was also transferred shortly after the conversation to give the appearance that he had been released on bail.
Kafferlin played the entire 22-minute audio presentation, highlighting the exchange between Stetson and the fellow inmate. Prosecutors stated that Stetson tried to hire the inmate to kill Bradstreet for $500.
In the profanity-filled conversation, Stetson gave calm, detailed information on where Bradstreet lived and what rooms contained items that would be valuable for him to steal. By stealing items from the home, Stetson said it would appear as if a robbery were committed. He also gave explicit instructions that he wanted his ex-wife “double tapped (shot twice)” to ensure she was dead.
Stetson also told the individual to tie up his son and if he became a problem he could “choke him out” if needed. He then instructed the inmate to take the boy to his grandparents’ home.
Rossignol said the taped conversation highlighted “every worst moment of Mark Stetson’s recent life.”
Stetson addressed the court in his own defense and called the incident caught on tape, “irresponsible and idiotic” and characterized his plans as something that “just kicked into gear.”
“I have to move on and accept things for what they are,” he told the judge. “Hearing that stuff (played in court) … where was that stuff coming from? I never wished Kari any harm. I believe I was still really agitated by things that were going on at that time.”
