Man shoots former gay lover and himself in murder suicide in Maine
Man shoots dead his former gay lover and then turns the gun on himself in murder suicide with weapon he'd purchased just hours earlier
- Matthew Rairdon, 22, was shot death in the early hours of Saturday morning after returning home from his job as a nurse
- He was killed by his former boyfriend, Patrick Milliner, 30, who then turned the pistol on himself
- Milliner, a correctional guard, had purchased the weapon - a .40-caliber Glock pistol - just hour
- Police have described the two men as former lovers whose relationship had recently ended
30
View
comments
Police in Maine are investigating a murder suicide after a man was shot dead by his former gay lover who then turned the gun on himself.
Matthew Rairdon, 22, was shot dead in the early hours of Saturday morning at his apartment in downtown Westbrook as he returned from a shift at a local hospital.
Patrick Milliner, 30, then turned the .40-caliber Glock pistol on himself. Their bodies were found several hours later by Rairdon's room mate.
Matthew Rairdon, right, was shot dead on Saturday morning at his apartment in Westbrook, Maine, by his former boyfriend Patrick Milliner, left, who then turned the pistol on himself
According to Maine State Police Milliner, who recently moved to Maine from Colorado, had just purchased the weapon the night before.
Police have described the two men as former lovers whose relationship had recently ended.
RELATED ARTICLES
Gay couples celebrate marriage law in Hawaii with midnight... 
High school horror as armed student 'barricades himself in a...
Former cheerleading captain and her football player high...
Share this article
ShareAlthough authorities haven't pinpointed when the pair split up, the period after a breakup is considered the most dangerous, especially if one partner has access to or recently purchased a gun, Julia Colpitts, executive director of the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, told Portland Press Herald.
The Mayor of Westbrook, Colleen Hilton, described the incident as ‘a senseless tragedy’ and said she had personally known the Rairdon family for many years.
Authorities haven't pinpointed when Rairdon, right, and Milliner, left, had volunteered together on the Equality Maine campaign in 2012 to secure same-sex rights in the state
The murder suicide occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning at Rairdon's apartment in downtown Westbrook as he returned from working a shift at a local hospital
She described Matthew Rairdon as ‘a great kid' and 'a tragic loss'.
Rairdon had recently started working as an emergency room nurse at Mercy Hospital in Portland, while Milliner was a new correctional guard at the Maine Correctional Facility in Windham.
According to Milliner’s Facebook page, the pair had volunteered together on the Equality Maine campaign, which in 2012 helped to secure same-sex marriage rights in the state.
On September 2 Milliner had written: ‘One of my favorite memories in Maine so far was watching family videos with his family today. Still smiling – with Matt Rairdon.’
The state medical examiner’s office was due to perform autopsies on both men on Sunday, and more details about the crime are expected to emerge this week.
Video: Two men dead in murder-suicide
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaKaVrMBwrdGtoJyklWJ%2Fdn2WaWhvZ32Wu26%2Fx6imratdnK66ecuorZ6qXaLCs7DEq2SsrZmYtqWxjIaYoqaVY7W1ucs%3D