AUGUSTA — A Clinton man pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges Thursday in the shooting death of a Fairfield man in a hail of gunfire in a Waterville parking lot.
Richard Hatt, 53, killed Stephen Killam, 47, of Fairfield, with a 9 mm handgun Oct. 15, 2024, “intentionally or knowingly” causing his death according to a murder indictment handed down Jan. 22 by a Kennebec County grand jury. He entered his plea to that charge at his arraignment at the Capital Judicial Center. The murder charge carries a maximum sentence of up to life in prison without the possibility of release.
Hatt, who is being held without bail in Kennebec County jail, also pleaded not guilty to charges of burglary, aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
Hatt said little in court, speaking only to answer Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy’s questions, including answering “yes” when she asked if he understood the pleas he was making and sentences he could be facing if found guilty. The burly defendant wore a green jail uniform and his hands were shackled at his waist.
About a dozen of Killam’s friends and family members attended the court hearing. No supporters appeared to be in court for Hatt.
On the day of the shooting, Hatt allegedly approached a car driven by Killam in the parking lot of Mount Joseph at Waterville, a rehabilitation and nursing center where Killam and his girlfriend both worked.
With Killam’s girlfriend in the passenger seat, Hatt allegedly opened fire, firing shots into the windshield. As he approached the driver’s side of the vehicle, Hatt continued to shoot at Killam.
Assistant Attorney General Jen Ackerman said previously 14 bullets were recovered from Killam’s body. Killam’s girlfriend was not shot.
Hatt admitted to police he shot Killam with a handgun, according to an affidavit filed by state police Detective Nicholas Watson. He also admitted to “knowing Stephen was dead and then shooting more rounds out of spite and hate.”
Hatt told police he shot multiple times until the gun’s slide locked, the affidavit said. He said he was aiming “center mass” and after he killed Killam he contemplated suicide because he didn’t want to go to prison.
Hatt apologized, the affidavit states, “for what others went through but believed Stephen deserved being shot.”
Testimony at Hatt’s bail hearing indicated he suffered from delusions that Killam was having an affair with a woman Hatt believed to be his girlfriend. Thomas Carey, one of two attorneys assigned to represent Hatt, said that belief was not based in reality, and Hatt was suffering from mental health problems at the time of the incident.
Killam and his girlfriend had temporary protection orders against Hatt, police said. The woman said a feud with Hatt had been ongoing since 2018.
Earlier on the morning of the shooting Hatt, who made his initial court appearance Oct. 16, 2024, allegedly invaded a home on Winter Street in Waterville and assaulted a man who he mistook for Killam. Ackerman said Hatt left that residence when he learned he had the wrong person, then decided that since he would likely face jail time for the assault, he would seek out Killam and kill him.
The charges against Hatt of burglary, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and two counts of criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon all appear to be tied to that incident. Hatt is accused of entering the home of a couple with a firearm, assaulting a man and causing him bodily injury, and threatening the man and woman who lived at the home, also with a firearm, according to the indictment.
Hatt’s criminal record in Maine includes numerous convictions since 1990, including several felony-level counts of burglary and theft, several misdemeanor-level charges of assault, a misdemeanor-level domestic violence assault and felony-level counts of tampering with a witness, criminal threatening and aggravated assault, according to the state Bureau of Identification.
