Maine Man Convicted of Killing Girlfriend Appealing Sentence

The 2019 murder of Melissa Sousa by the father of her daughters is one of the most shocking crimes Maine has seen in the last two decades.

The story began in October of 2019, when friends of Melissa Sousa reached out to authorities because they were not able to contact her.  Police discovered Sousa's body in the basement of the Waterville home that she shared with Nicholas P. Lovejoy.  Lovejoy was charged with her murder soon after.

He later pleaded guilty to the killing and was sentenced to 42 years in prison.

According to the KJ, he is now appealing that sentence.

On Wednesday, Lovejoy's lawyer, Scott Hess, appeared before Maine's Supreme Judicial Court.  According to the article, Hess argued that police unlawfully entered the couple's apartment.  Police reportedly entered the apartment over concerns for Lovejoy and Sousa's twin daughters.  According to Hess, the real reason police entered the home was because they wanted to look for clues pertaining to Sousa's disappearance.

He argued that this was a violation of the 4th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects Americans from unreasonable searches of their property.

Katie Sibley, an Assistant Attorney General, argued that police entry into the apartment was reasonable because there were concerns about the safety of the couple twin daughters.

The article goes on to explain that after police had taken Lovejoy into custody, they made a visit to the apartment.  According to police, they were there because they were concerned about the safety of the couple's twin daughters.  The reportedly entered the residence and found the girls asleep in their bedroom after about an hour.  Police then left.  They returned to the apartment the next day.  That's when they found Sousa's body in the basement of the residence.

During Wednesday's hearing, Hess argued that because Lovejoy was in custody, police could have taken the time to get a search warrant.

The justices will review the arguments of both sides and issue a decision in writing.