An Augusta perp who allegedly blew a Cushing man’s head off with a shotgun wants to exclude from his trial things he later said to cops.
A lawyer for Jason Hewett, 40, is arguing that police failed to read Hewett his Miranda rights during a standoff before his arrest.
Hewett allegedly shot and killed Kyle MacDougal, 45, at a Cushing home just over a year ago before leading police on a high-speed chase.
After the killing, Maine State Police pursued Hewett in his car, finally cornering him in Augusta, where he eventually emerged from his vehicle after four hours of negotiations with a police tactical team.
The suspect was then taken to a Kennebec County jail where he was questioned by detectives.
Defense attorney Andrew Wright is asking that statements Hewett made to police not be allowed at trial because he wasn’t read his rights against self-incrimination.
A hearing on Wright’s motion to exclude the suspect’s statements is scheduled for November.
Police suspect Hewett committed the shooting July 7, 2024.
The victim’s body was then found in a barrel behind the house where the killing occurred.
A case witness said that Hewett believed that MacDougall had loosened lug nuts on his truck, causing it to crash, according to police.
A second witness told investigators he heard someone admitting to mistakenly killing MacDougall by shooting his face off with a shotgun.
Hewett, whose trial is set for this spring, is charged with manslaughter for recklessly or with criminal negligence causing MacDougall’s death.
