Episode 32: Mark Bechard
One fateful January 1996 evening in Waterville, Maine, nuns at the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament had just finished their nightly service. The attendees were all familiar, and enjoyed the preaching of the well-liked women who ran the small convent. One of the familiar faces in the crowd was a man named Mark Bechard, who had attended the service before, by himself and with his family. Bechard was known in the community for a few reasons, but mainly because in the past 20 years, his mental health started to deteriorate.
On this night in question, Bechard was getting some funny looks because he opted to arrive to the service in just a t-shirt, despite it being the end of January in chilly Maine. This was the first tip to the sisters that maybe Bechard was off his medication again. Unfortunately, what happened next proved their thoughts correct.
At around 6pm, Bechard stormed the back of the convent, breaking the glass of the door and unlocking it, walking inside. Immediately, he attacked a nun, causing a scene and catching the attention of another nun, who called the police. Despite help arriving in just three minutes, too much damage had been done at the hands of Bechard.
After the very quick and manic ordeal, Superior Mother Edna Mary Cardozo and Sister Mary Julien Fortin had been beaten and stomped to death. Two other nuns, Sister Mary Anna Digiacomo, and Sister Patricia Keane had been injured and required hospitalization. Just a few days later, Sister Patricia Keane ended up dying from her injuries. Throughout the whole attack, Mark Bechard did not say a single word.
Bechard was promptly arrested, where he was quickly evaluated. It became clear that he was mentally ill and was undergoing some sort of psychosis. He had been off his medication for quite some time and had been previously placed in the Augusta Mental Health Institute nine times. Because of his mental health, and after some psychiatric evaluations, Mark Bechard was found not criminally responsible by reason of insanity, and was placed under state custody in mental health treatment.
Mark Bechard stayed in treatment for his extreme manic depression and his psychosis for the rest of his life, eventually graduating to unsupervised time in the community. In 2017, he died of ALS in a nursing home at the age of 58. The surviving nuns of the Blessed Sacrament publicly forgave Bechard, and some of them even attended his funeral.
Image sources:
pressherald.com - “Man who killed nuns wants to move to apartment”