The husband of a woman brutally slain by a stranger inside a Saco Shaw’s supermarket two years ago has filed a lawsuit against the grocery chain, alleging it failed to protect her and other customers.
Jeffrey Boudreau of Saco filed the federal lawsuit as the personal representative of the estate of Wendy Boudreau, 59, who was killed in the store on Aug. 19, 2015, by Connor MacAlister.
Police said MacAlister followed the mother of five into the store, grabbed her from behind and slit her throat. Police said that Mac- Alister was “angry with life” and had been planning a random attack on a bystander for a month.
MacAlister, now 33, pleaded guilty in November 2015 and was sentenced to life in prison. MacAlister’s attorney said that his client pleaded guilty against the attorney’s advice and requested a life sentence. MacAlister apologized briefly to the Boudreau family at his sentencing.
Boudreau’s lawsuit lists more than two dozen instances in which grocery store customers or employees were assaulted or in which a Shaw’s store was robbed and says the company failed to adequately monitor the store or provide enough security to protect customers. It alleges that MacAlister “stalked” Boudreau before attacking her, and employees failed to notice that activity and intervene.
The suit, filed in federal court in Portland, also said that MacAlister had frequented the Saco store, and employees should have recognized him as a potential threat to shoppers.
In its answer filed with the court, Shaw’s denied the allegations and noted that Boudreau’s death was caused by MacAlister, who had no connection to the store.
Jeffrey Boudreau is seeking unspecified damages to compensate for his wife’s pain and suffering, medical and funeral expenses and his loss of enjoyment of life and the companionship of his wife.
Both Boudreau and Shaw’s have requested a jury trial. Teresa Edington, Shaw’s spokeswoman, declined to comment directly on the lawsuit.
“That said, at Shaw’s, we pride ourselves on providing a safe environment for our customers to shop, and this tragic incident isn’t reflective of the overall safety of our stores,” she said.
Edward D. Murphy can be contacted at:
emurphy@pressherald.com
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