State of Maine v. Raymond N. Lester

Summary

The court affirmed Lester’s murder conviction and forty-eight-year sentence. It held that the jury instructions on intent, motive, and premeditation were legally accurate and, viewed as a whole, did not unfairly favor the State; the omission of an intoxication instruction was not obvious error because the evidence did not show that Lester was intoxicated when the killing occurred. The court also held that the sentencing court properly considered the objective seriousness of the offense, including running over the victim, abandoning her, and fleeing, in setting the forty-year basic sentence.