Two charged in slaying of Augusta man

AUGUSTA – Two young men from Augusta were charged Wednesday with murdering a Franco-American cabaret singer in his apartment, and one of them admitted to police that he shot the victim, police said Wednesday.

Mathiew Loisel, 21, and Corey Swift, 18, were held without bail at the Kennebec County Jail after a brief court appearance.

Loisel allegedly told detectives he shot 62-year-old entertainer Jean-Paul Poulain because the victim had taken sexual advantage of him a few months ago.

In an interview with WGME-TV, Loisel said he pulled the trigger. “But it was like my finger moved without my mind thinking,” he said.

Poulain died Tuesday night in an ambulance as it raced to the Augusta airport, where a helicopter was waiting to fly him to a Lewiston hospital, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Poulain, one of 14 children in a French-speaking household in Augusta, began singing at age 5 when he accompanied his father in a duo. His father enjoyed singing French and Irish ballads, and his mother sang French and French-Canadian folk tunes.

He was a founder of Le Festival de la Bastille in Augusta, which was sponsored by Le Club Calumet, and he served as master of ceremonies for many years.

Swift and Amanda Bechard, 22, of Augusta, were quoted in state police affidavits as saying Loisel told them that he wanted to rob Poulain. Loisel told Bechard that Poulain had money in Swiss bank accounts and that he was going to make him transfer the money.

On the night of the killing, Loisel showed up at Bechard’s apartment with a handgun and demanded that Swift accompany him to Poulain’s house, the affidavits said.

Swift told police that Loisel shot Poulain in the chest and hid the handgun under a nearby shed. Detectives later recovered the gun from the site.

Loisel’s attorney, David Crook, said his client suffered from “long-standing mental health issues” and asked for a mental health evaluation.