AUGUSTA — A Waterville man who shot and killed a Winslow man after a party was sentenced to 10 years in prison for manslaughter Friday.
Tyler P. Quirion, 21, was initially charged with murder in the Feb. 19, 2024, shooting death of Justin Iraola, 22, in Waterville, as well as charges of manslaughter and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
Quirion pleaded guilty to manslaughter April 16, with the murder and possession of a firearm charges dismissed in a plea deal reached with state prosecutors.
He was sentenced at the Capital Judicial Center by Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy to 25 years in prison, with all but 10 of those years suspended, and four years probation. That means he’ll serve only 10 years in prison if he complies with the terms of his probation, but he could be required to serve the entire 25 year sentence if he violates probation.
In tear-filled testimony in court before Murphy announced the sentence, Iraola’s family members asked that Quirion be sentenced to the maximum sentence allowed for shooting Iraola, father of a now 3-year-old child.
“There is nothing I can say that can describe the pain I feel every single day since Justin is gone,” his mother, Wanda Boutiler, said through tears, as slides of Justin with his daughter were shown in court. “Justin was my baby. And even more painful than losing my baby, is that his daughter is not going to know him.”
Quirion stood to apologize for what happened, saying he never meant to shoot Iraola.
“I should have never fired my gun,” Quirion, in a green jail uniform, said. “I cannot express how sorry I am for Justin and his family and child. I never wanted this to happen. I wish I could take it all back.”
Quirion, who has no prior criminal record, initially denied the charges of murder, manslaughter and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, pleading not guilty in October.
Prosecutor Leanne Robbin, an assistant attorney general, said Quirion was at a Waterville woman’s home partying with a group of other young people. She said there was drinking and use of cocaine, which she said Quirion brought to the party.
Witnesses said Quirion was carrying his 9 mm handgun in his waistband, displaying it occasionally at the party, including showing its green laser aiming device. The woman who lived at the home, Kya Benson, told Quirion to leave the party around 6 a.m. after he was reported to be drunk, stumbling, and dropping things.
Brothers Justin and Frankie Iraola escorted him out of the home, Robbin said.
As they did so Quirion, Robbin said, lifted up his shirt to show the gun to the Iraola brothers, and said he’d use the gun if he had to, and walked off. He left the party but returned and confronted the woman who lived there. She pushed him, Robbin said, and Frankie Iraola got into a fistfight with him, which started in the driveway and spilled out into the street.
Robbin said Justin Iraola became involved in the altercation as well. The three were engaged in a struggle when Quirion fired his gun, striking and killing Justin Iraola.
Quirion then fled the scene on foot and was later apprehended by a Maine State Police tactical team, which used a dog to track him to a Waterville boat launch, where he was found in a tree leaning over the Kennebec River. He told an officer at the time that he had shot a gun and then was being chased by people from the party who had a gun.
Andrew Wright, one of three attorneys assigned to defend Quirion, said Quirion took out his gun and shot because he feared for his life as the Iraola brothers attacked him, two on one. He said Quirion, who initially asserted his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent and not talk to police, took responsibility for what he’d done as soon as he had legal representation, about four months after the incident. He described the incident as a tragedy in which all participants, not just Quirion, made bad decisions while under the influence of alcohol.
“This was an absolute tragedy that should have never happened,” Wright said. “These are frankly, kids doing things they shouldn’t be doing.”
Wright said Quirion returned to the home to get his sweatshirt after he’d been told to leave because he was suffering from the February cold temperatures, as he’d been put out in only a T-shirt and jeans.
Benson, despite having told Quirion to leave her home the morning of the party, testified in court Friday that he is her best support system and her best friend and has never been aggressive toward her, ever.
“He’s a very good person … an amazing person, he’s always has a good attitude no matter what the situation is,” she said.
Quirion’s mother and brother also spoke in support of him, saying he was a good kid.
“Growing up we never got in any altercations,” his brother Brandon Toner said. “Tyler hasn’t been in trouble previous to this. And he deserves a chance.”
Quirion was arrested Sept. 20, 2024, and charged with the killing a day after a Kennebec County grand jury indicted him.
Iraola lived in Winslow at the time of his death.
An autopsy conducted by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner on the day of the shooting determined the cause and manner of Iraola’s death to be multiple gunshot wounds and homicide.
Quirion was held without bail until sentencing.
The indictment alleged Quirion used a Taurus 9 mm pistol to commit the crime. The possession of a firearm by a prohibited person charge, now dismissed, alleged Quirion was prohibited from possessing a firearm as an unlawful user or addict to a controlled substance, the indictment said.
