Court records say the defendant called 911 twice, claimed the gun went off by accident and then drove the wounded woman away from the condo.

CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine — A 24-year-old Maine man has been charged with murder after investigators said his longtime girlfriend was shot multiple times at a condo near Sugarloaf, then rushed south for help after he made two frantic 911 calls saying the shooting was accidental.

Austin Doucette was arrested the night after the March 8 shooting death of 23-year-old Makayla Rose DeSantis, a Connecticut woman who also worked at the ski resort. The case quickly moved beyond an initial emergency response and into a homicide investigation after an autopsy found multiple gunshot wounds and officers recovered shell casings, bullet damage and a .45-caliber handgun inside the condo.

According to a probable cause affidavit, the first emergency call reached the Franklin County Regional Communications Center at 7:31 p.m. Sunday. Investigators said the caller was hysterical, shouting that a gun had gone off and saying, “I can’t believe I did this” and “I’m sorry babe.” The call ended after the caller told dispatchers he was driving to Farmington to get treatment for his passenger. A second call came at 7:35 p.m. In that call, the man said, “My girlfriend has a gunshot wound,” repeated that it “accidentally went off,” identified the victim as Makayla and said he did not want to go to jail.

First responders met the couple along Route 27. A paramedic later told detectives that the wounded woman had been in the second row of the car and that her head was lying toward the driver’s side as crews tried to revive her. She was taken first to MaineHealth Franklin Hospital in Farmington and then flown to Maine Medical Center in Portland. A state police detective was told she appeared to have a gunshot wound to the chest and had lost a large amount of blood. Hospital staff pronounced her dead at 11:01 p.m., according to the affidavit. Maine State Police later identified her as DeSantis, of Colchester, Connecticut.

Police said the shooting happened at 1215 Left Bank in Carrabassett Valley, a condo near the resort area. When officers got to the residence, investigators said, Doucette was no longer there. Deputies stopped a black 2014 Hyundai Elantra at the Maine Department of Transportation office in Kingfield, where detectives said they saw reddish-brown stains on the rear seat, a stained receipt and a cellphone. During an interview in a patrol car, Doucette told detectives the shooting happened inside his condo, said the victim was his girlfriend and repeated that it was an accident. He also told police the gun was still on the couch, then said he did not want to answer more questions until speaking with an attorney.

The next day, the investigation turned on what officers said they found inside the condo. A Smith & Wesson M&P .45 handgun was on the couch with its magazine nearby and the slide locked back, according to the affidavit. Investigators recovered three fired Blazer .45 cartridge cases and an unfired round. They also documented three bullet defects near the couch, including damage to a coffee table, a hole through the floor and damage to the ceiling of the unit below. Two projectiles were recovered from the couch area. The medical examiner later ruled DeSantis’ death a homicide caused by multiple gunshot wounds and found two wounds in her chest, each entering on the right side and exiting on the left.

The records also describe a third call that helped shape the case timeline. At 8:06 p.m., according to detectives, Jamie Rollins called dispatchers and said she was calling about her boyfriend’s son, Doucette. She told police Doucette had called his father, said he was being chased by police, said something had happened with his girlfriend and said he was going to kill himself. The affidavit does not say whether investigators believe that statement reflected immediate intent or panic. It does show that police used it to place his movements and contacts in the minutes after the shooting.

Doucette’s attorney, Verne E. Paradie, told local television station WMTW that “this appears to be a terrible accident” and that the defense hoped to learn more about the circumstances. Prosecutors have charged Doucette with murder, and court records show a judge found probable cause and ordered no bail at that stage. The state police investigation remains open as authorities continue reviewing physical evidence, phone records and witness statements.

For DeSantis’ family, the case has also moved beyond the crime scene into public mourning. A fundraiser organized by her brother described her as a caring older sister who loved baking, crafts and painting. He wrote that she and Doucette had been together for nearly eight years. Those details do not answer the central legal question in the case, but they show how a Sunday night shooting at a resort town condo quickly became both a homicide prosecution and a deeply personal loss carried across two states.

The case stood with a murder charge, no-bail status and an active investigation as of Tuesday, with additional court dates expected as prosecutors continue to build the record.

Author note: Last updated April 7, 2026.