Police tape blocks access to Mount Joseph in Waterville at 7 Highwood St., where police say Richard Hatt, 57, of Clinton, shot Stephen Killam, 47, of Fairfield around 6:30 a.m. October 15. Hatt, who is charged with Killam’s murder, was denied bail Monday. Rich Abrahamson / Morning Sentinel

AUGUSTA — A Clinton man who allegedly fatally shot a Fairfield man in Waterville last month was denied bail Monday.

Richard Hatt, 53is accused of murder of Stephen Killam Oct. 15 in the parking lot of Mount Joseph in Waterville, a rehabilitation and nursing center at 7 Highwood St. in Waterville, prosecutors said.

Richard Hatt, 53, of Clinton, during a video appearance Oct. 16 during his first court appearance at the Capital Judicial Center in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Hatt wrongly believed Killam was having an affair with his longtime girlfriend, authorities said.

During the bail hearing at the Capital Judicial Center, Judge Michaela Murphy said there was ample probable cause to indicate that Hatt knowingly or intentionally killed Killam and that Hatt would pose a substantial risk to the public safety if he were released on bail.

Hatt allegedly approached a car driven by Killam in the parking lot of Mount Joseph in Waterville, where Killam and his girlfriend worked. Killam’s girlfriend was sitting in the passenger seat. Hatt allegedly fired several shots into the windshield, then continued shooting at Killam as he approached the driver’s side of the vehicle. Ackerman said 14 bullets were recovered from Killam’s body.

Earlier on the morning of the shooting, Hatt allegedly invaded a home on Winter Street in Waterville and assaulted a man there whom he apparently mistook for Killam. Assistant Attorney General Jen Ackerman said Hatt left when he learned he had the wrong person. He then decided that, since he was likely facing prison for this attack, he would seek out Killam and kill him.

Hatt admitted to police that he shot Killam with a 9 mm handgun, according to an affidavit filed by state police Detective Nicholas Watson. He also admitted to “knowing that Stephen was dead and then firing more bullets out of spite and hatred.” He told police he fired several times until the gun’s slide locked. He said he was targeting “center mass” and that after killing Killam, he considered suicide because he didn’t want to go to prison. Hatt apologized, according to Watson’s affidavit, “for what others experienced but thought Stephen deserved to be shot.”

Testimony says Hatt suffered from delusions that Killam, 47, of Fairfield, was having an affair with a woman Hatt believed was his girlfriend.Thomas Carey, one of two attorneys representing Hatt, said that belief was neither true nor based in reality.

Carey argued that Hatt suffered from mental health issues and also had major health issues that would not be treated effectively during his time in a county jail. Carey said Hatt would not pose a risk to society because his delusions were focused entirely on his belief that Killam was having an affair with his girlfriend. Carey said the fact that Hatt mistook a random stranger for Killam, entered his home and assaulted him with a handgun is further evidence that Hatt was suffering from mental health issues that day.

“It’s very clear at that point the defendant had something significant going on with him and with his ability to perceive reality,” Carey said. “He was operating in a completely different reality.”

Ackerman countered that having killed the person he was fixated on doesn’t mean Hatt still isn’t a risk to others in society, including Killam’s girlfriend. She said Hatt should remain held without bail because he poses a flight risk, a risk to public safety and, with a history of violent crimes, is likely to commit other crimes.

Killam’s girlfriend told police that she and Killam went to work together around 6 a.m. on October 15. As they parked in front of Mount Joseph in Waterville, Hatt walked up and fired a handgun into the car, hitting Killam. She screamed, raised her hands and was not hit by any bullets. She said that after the shooting, Hatt fled in his truck, which she recognized from previous interactions.

Killam and his girlfriend had temporary protective orders against Hatt, police said. His girlfriend said a feud with Hatt had been going on since 2018.

Hatt has not yet entered a plea or been charged. He first appeared in court on October 16.

Waterville police responded to the scene on October 15 after receiving reports of multiple gunshots.

Witnesses reported seeing a black Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck leave. They gave the police the license plate number. Police were alerted to be looking for the truck that morning, and shortly before 9 a.m., Chief Rusty Bell of the Clinton Police Department located the truck and Hatt in Clinton.

Bell, who said he had known Hatt for years, thought the man might be going to his sister’s residence on Battle Ridge Road in Clinton.

That’s where Bell found Hatt, standing with his sister and her husband on his lawn. Hatt surrendered to Bell, who placed him under arrest. A 9mm handgun was found on Hatt, according to Watson’s affidavit, other guns were found in the truck, and Hatt also gave a gun to his brother-in-law, but stated that this was not the weapon used in the shooting. He said he threw that gun away.

Hatt’s Maine criminal record includes numerous convictions since 1990, including multiple counts of burglary and theft, multiple misdemeanor-level assault charges, misdemeanor-level domestic violence assault, and counts of felony level charge of tampering with a witness, criminal threats. and aggravated assault, according to the State Identification Bureau.

Several of Killam’s friends and family members attended Monday’s court hearing, but did not speak. Jessica Killam, Stephen Killam’s sister, previously described her brother as a loving and caring man who never hurt anyone, and said the family was grappling with the loss.

Mount Joseph in Waterville, located at 7 Highwood Street, was formerly the Mount St. Joseph Nursing Home.

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