AUBURN — A Lewiston man was sentenced Tuesday to serve 45 years in prison for the hit-and-run murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend in 2014.
Androscoggin County Superior Court Justice MaryGay Kennedy sentenced Evaristo De Deus, 36, of 37 Union St., to the maximum prison term allowed under an October plea agreement.
In announcing the sentence, she said there was overwhelming evidence that the slaying of his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Laudrinha Kubeloso, 32, was premeditated.
“It’s quite clear that there was a motive, and that this was premeditated,” Kennedy said. “The defendant used violence in committing this murder. He ran her down with his car. The crime was senseless and unprovoked.”
Deus showed no emotion as his translators informed him of the sentence.
Deus is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and his native language is Lingala.
Police said Deus intentionally struck Kubeloso from behind with his Suzuki SUV while she was walking on Howe Street in Lewiston on Sept. 23, 2014. She was four months pregnant. She died of blunt force trauma to the head and torso.
Deus fled Maine and authorities captured him a day later in New York, just 10 minutes before his flight was due to depart John F. Kennedy International Airport for Haiti.
Police later recovered Deus’ vehicle in a parking lot at the University of New England in Portland, its license plates missing and its front passenger side damaged.
According to the police report, the couple had been dating for about four months but had had domestic problems. They had split up and had barely spoken for three weeks before Kubeloso’s death.
Witnesses said Deus had wanted Kubeloso to return to him property he had given her. He reportedly said he would “bury her” if she didn’t.
In her presentation to Kennedy, Assistant Attorney General Meg Elam said that Deus’ behavior was akin to “stalking,” and that he had followed Kubeloso in his vehicle as she left her Adult Education class and walked onto Howe Street.
According to a police affidavit, an eyewitness to the murder said he was on the second-floor balcony of his home at 127 Howe St. at 3 p.m. when he heard a “loud thud.” He looked down the street and saw a blue SUV hit a woman, “run her over and continue driving.” That witness said the driver was a black man wearing a blue shirt.
Fatuma Hussein, executive director of the Immigrant Resource Center of Maine, read a prepared statement from Kubeloso’s mother, Suzanne, during the sentencing hearing. The woman described her daughter as the “peacemaker of the family,” and a “sweet (person) who never liked conflict.”
“She was a good sister to her siblings and always compromised so others could get what they needed,” Suzanne wrote in her statement. “She was a happy child and had her whole future ahead of her.”
Suzanne wrote, “I’ve lost my hope, lost my health, and lost my faith.”
“I cannot help but think that the killer is an evil person with no good in him,” Suzanne continued, “but my daughter would think otherwise, because that’s the kind of person she is.”
After reading the statement, Hussein said that her organization attempts to prevent gender-based violence, and wants people to know that it’s “not OK to be a bystander” or “turn a blind eye” to domestic violence.
The Rev. Bin Mutombo of the Spoken Word Tabernacle in Portland wiped tears from his eyes as he told the court that while he “could not forgive” Deus for his actions, he wished the court would show him mercy.
Deus’ attorney, Henry Griffin, argued that his client should receive a sentence in the 25- to 30-year range.
Griffin said Deus had no prior criminal record and had shown remorse by pleading guilty to the crime.
However, Elam said that when she considers the weight of a guilty plea, she “questions whether a guilty plea is an acceptance of responsibility or an acceptance of reality.”
“The reality is that the evidence against Mr. Deus was overwhelming,” Elam said.
Kennedy said that while she did take into consideration the fact that Deus had no criminal history and had pleaded guilty, it was outweighed by the facts that the murder was premeditated and that he attempted to flee following the crime.
“I do not believe there is an extradition agreement in place with Haiti, so if he had been successful in escaping, he never would have had to answer to the crime,” Kennedy said.
She said she wanted to show that it is “unacceptable to turn a blind eye” to domestic violence.
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