AUBURN – A Lewiston man has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for the hit-and-run killing of his pregnant former girlfriend.
Evaristo De Deus, 36, asked for forgiveness from the victim’s family before the sentence was imposed Tuesday in Androscoggin County Superior Court.
Police say the Lewiston man intentionally struck Laudrinha Kubeloso from behind with an SUV in September 2014 as she walked home from an adult education class. De Deus pleaded guilty to murder in October.
Justice MaryGay Kennedy rejected a plea for a lighter sentence, saying there was plentiful evidence that the killing was premeditated.
The judge said De Deus was angry when he didn’t get his TV and other items back when the two broke up and that the man’s actions were “senseless and unprovoked,” the Sun Journal reported.
Authorities captured De Deus in New York 10 minutes before his flight was due to depart JFK airport for Haiti. He is from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Police say auto parts found at the scene matched the make, model and color of the defendant’s damaged SUV, which was later found abandoned.
De Deus’ attorney, Henry Griffin, argued that his client should receive a lighter sentence because he had no criminal history and accepted responsibility for his actions by pleading guilty.
Assistant Attorney General Meg Elam said she questioned “whether a guilty plea is an acceptance of responsibility or an acceptance of reality.” She noted that the evidence was overwhelming.
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