The Bollard, a monthly newspaper published in Portland, has dubbed attempted murderer Leo R. Hylton, 34, Maine’s “foremost justice advocate” in an October issue alongside the question, “Who’s Afraid of Leo Hylton?”
Hylton (MDOC#70199) is currently housed in Maine State Prison, where he’s slated to remain until July 27, 2050, for robbery, burglary, and attempted murder.
Hylton was sentenced in Kennebec County Superior Court in Feb. 2010 after he was found guilty of participating in a brutal home invasion and violent attack targeting former Maine State Rep. William Guerrette and his ten-year-old daughter.
[RELATED: Parole Reform Poster Child Tried to Murder Maine Family with Machete…]
In May 2008, Hylton joined his foster brother, Daniel S. Fortune, in driving a stolen car to Guerrette’s home where they broke into the house with burglary on their minds. Both men came to the premeditated crime armed for violent confrontation: Fortune carried a “long knife,” while Hylton wielded a machete.
Due to earlier encounters with Fortune and Hylton, Guerrette had purchased a firearm and a security system. The security alarm awoke him to the break-in, but the firearm malfunctioned, which allowed Hylton to strike him several times with the machete, leaving him permanently disfigured.
That’s when Guerette’s ten-year-old daughter appeared at the top of the stairs, frozen in shock after having witnessed Hylton’s brutal assault on her father.
Here’s how Hylton’s actions after that point were described at Fortune’s trial:
“At this time, the ten-year-old daughter came out of her upstairs bedroom and looked over the railing to the first floor. Her father yelled at her to get back into her room. The girl saw a person come up the stairs toward her; that man, Hylton, “scaled the stairs as fast as [he] could” and struck at the younger daughter, who was “cowering against the wall,” at least four or five times as her father watched from below. Hylton later stated that the younger daughter was a witness and that he kept swinging at her even after she “[went] down” because he had to make sure there were no witnesses. The father tried to get to her, but Fortune was fighting him, “hitting” and “hacking” him, and knocking him down as the father slipped in his own blood. The father lost consciousness.
“As this was happening, the mother could hear horrible screaming. She tried the phone, but it was dead. She shut and locked the master bedroom door, ran into the bathroom and locked the door, pushed out the window screen, dropped to the ground, and started running. After she left the house, the mother heard someone kick in the bathroom door, so she ran through the woods to a neighboring house where the police were called. The older daughter, who had been sleeping in a bedroom in the lower level of the house, hid under her bed, eventually got her cell phone, and also called the police. The teenage son, who had been sleeping on the sofa in the game room in the main part of the lower level, started to go upstairs, but when the basement door slammed shut, he instead ran out the lower level doors and hid in the backyard.“
The first officers who responded to the scene of the crime believed that the ten-year-old girl Hylton struck with a machete four or five times was dead due to the extent of her injuries, according to court records.
According to subsequent press reports, the daughter required several major corrective surgeries related to the “devastating and disfiguring life-long injuries” Hylton inflicted on her with the machete strikes.
Hylton pleaded guilty to his role in the violent home invasion, receiving a 90-year sentence with 40 years suspended as part of a deal that allowed him to avoid a life sentence.
Under current Maine law, Hylton will not be eligible for release for another nine years — that is, roughly 25 years after he hacked up a cowering 10-year-old girl with a machete.
During his incarceration, Hylton has sought and obtained some college degrees, and he has formed an extremely close personal relationship with Colby College professor Catherine Besteman, with whom he has taught a course at the private liberal arts school.
Because he has behaved while incarcerated and has obtained some academic credentials, Hylton has become the poster child for left-wing criminal justice reformers.
In the most recent legislative cycle, there was a concerted push to bring parole back to Maine in a bid to allow prisoners to be released early into the community. Those efforts failed, in part because Gov. Janet Mills (D) and Republican lawmakers did not buy into the idea that attempted murderers who hack up cowering little girls with machetes deserve early release from prison.
Now, according to Bollard publisher Chris Busby, Hylton has penned a letter to Gov. Mills pleading for clemency.
Per Busby, Mills has “unfairly” rejected his plea to be released from the Maine State Prison in Warren. Here are some other ways Busby describes the circumstances of the 34-year-old man who attempted to hack an innocent 10-year-old girl to death:
- Hylton is introduced as a “restorative justice advocate and scholar caged in Maine State Prison”
- His clemency case is a “proverbial slam dunk”
- Mills has turned Hylton into a “political prisoner”
- The quest to free the guy who chopped a ten-year-old girls face up with a machete is a “human rights campaign for his freedom”
- Hylton deserves freedom, in part, because he once gave another prisoner a piece of advice
Busby also notes that District Attorney Natasha Irving, who is a notoriously soft-on-crime advocate for “restorative justice,” has backed Hylton’s release.
According to Irving, Hylton had just turned 18 at the time he hacked up the ten-year-old girl with a machete after attempting to murder her father during a home invasion. Because he was only 18, Irving reasons, the sentence he received was far too severe; plus, the 60-year sentence did not take into account that Hylton would go on to get a PhD. (Busby, like other writers who have taken up Hylton’s cause, never quite get around to explaining why earning a PhD means anything about anything.)
After a mere fifteen paragraphs praising Hylton and decrying anyone who does not support his release from prison, Busby finally gets around to mentioning Hylton’s victims, Rep. Guerette and his daughter.
Busby writes that Guerrette, a Republican, had recovered from Hylton’s “non-fatal offense” well enough to run for State Senate in 2020, as if his recovery in some way minimizes the heinousness of Hylton’s attempt to murder him.
The closest Busby gets to acknowledging that Hylton brutally disfigured a ten-year-old girl with a machete is when he notes, in passing, that she was “also seriously injured that night.”
Guerrette and his daughter to this day oppose Hylton’s early release from prison. But Busby makes the argument that actually what’s best for the Guerrettes is for Hylton to be released from prison immediately.
That’s because a newly freed Hylton would quickly start making all kinds of money on his Restorative Justice Speaking Tour ™ — money that he would then use to pay back Guerrette’s daughter for the childhood he stole.
Is Hylton a changed man? Who knows. Sure. Who cares.
But it’s quite telling that his staunchest advocates in the media consistently elide over the fact that he struck a ten-year-old girl in the face with a machete multiple times, a ravenous and inhumane assault that permanently robbed her of her life, her peace, and her childhood. Do a couple of PhDs pay back that debt? Will a couple thousand dollars to an “I’m Sorry I Tried to Murder You When You Were a Little Girl Fund” make it all OK?
If anyone has a right to answer those questions, it’s Hylton’s victims, the Guerrettes, and their answer is a resounding “No.” Reading some books, counseling fellow inmates, and being free to pay reparations might make Hylton feel better, but ameliorating the guilty consciences of attempted murderers is not the purpose of our criminal justice system.
Hey good for this guy for trying to better himself in prison but damn he still did what he did. I imagine the emotional scars are lifelong for the victims (not to mention the physical). He should remain in prison for life. What a horrible story. I can’t imagine doing that to anyone let alone a 10 year old. No amount of “turning your life around” erases that
Keep this animal locked up for life!
This is a perfect reason for the death penalty.
Reinstate the death penalty nationwide for scum like this.
Leave him in Jail.
Another case of dodging responsibility.
I recently read a book about a young man in the military who suffered a mental illness and killed someone. (His mother, an evangelist, wrote the book – “I Lay Down My Isaac.”) He was sentenced to life in prison. While incarcerated, he has turned himself around – I think he has become an ordained minister – but he does not plead for release. He has accepted responsibility for his actions and accepts his sentence and fate as just. He now operates a ministry on the inside, bringing spiritual hope and comfort to his fellow inmates, whether or not they are lifers like him.
It just goes to show that not all who commit crimes are devoid of ethics. But it is also a warning that those in the justice and corrections systems must exert discernment, not pander to emotions and non sequiturs.
Busby seems to think that because Guerette got on with his life and isn’t sitting staring at the walls all day is excuse enough to let Hylton out.
The mental gymnastics these people do to rationalize their bulloney is exhausting.
On this issue I agree with Mills.
At 18 you know the difference between right and wrong. Heck, at the age of 10 you know.
He should never get out.
Busby better hope that Kamala’s DOJ doesn’t chase him down for dis, mis and mal information! This is just an example of one of the protected consequences, with which we must suffer, for the overarching benefits of the 1st amendment.
What is the PHD. in? How much does it cost to get one from Colby? And did the state pay for it?
Just when you thought the PPH was as bad as a paper could get. Maine is circling the toilet bowl. It is unbelievable how liberalism has ruined this once beautiful state.
Is The Bollard still printing? I read it for a while and then decided that it looked better in my recycle bin than on my coffee table…This is just more deluded dem thinking. To release this guy would be a mistake and no kind of justice for Guerrette and his daughter.
I’d like to know how Hoylt paid for all this education, especially from Colby! A PhD also means he has a Masters and an Undergraduate. All from Colby?! If he got out, which I hope he doesn’t, wouldn’t he have a mass of student debt to pay off? This all sounds crazy and I hope he stays locked up for life!
Bring back the death penalty…evil scum needs to swing…of course, make sure he hears the gospel and has the opportunity to repent, before he assumes room temp.
Sounds like a clone of Mass rapist Benjamin Legare. Every shred of evidence proved he did it and then when the DNA test came back it was, yes you guessed it, 99.99999999% his DNA, and yet he still proclaimed his innocence and blamed the DNA match on “Racism”.
“Because he has behaved while incarcerated and has obtained some academic credentials,
B.S. And yes I speak from personal experience with I/M Hylton.
” Hylton has become the poster child for left-wing criminal justice reformers.”
Let’s not forget the poster child for what a great job Randle Liberty is doing as DOC. Well other than the lowest staff moral in living memory, or inability to staff MSP. The most dangerous place in DOC is being between the commissioner and a camera.
Would ah, could ah, should ah… I hope that family bought a few firearms after their recovery and are training with them so a situation such as this will never happen to them again and they’ll never end up as helpless victims.
He’s likely a psychopathic scam artist. He should finish his sentence and ultimately burn in hell. Liberalism is a mental disorder.
For those that are wondering how he paid for a degree.
The taxpayers of Maine are paying for college courses for these prisoners.
Maine State Prison has several college programs and provide laptops to prisoners.
Fun fact: he was “released” from prison for a day or two to go teach a class as a professor at Colby college. Plain clothed with no restraints. There is an article explaining that.
Stupidity
Please remember this young girl is now a wonderful young woman who needs her privacy. She should not have to live with the fear of this monster getting out of prison. This monster deserves to rot in hell for the trauma that family endured. While they are at it at Warren or Colby, make sure you chop his nuts off so he doesn’t screw this Colby idiot and have kids in the future. Something this young girl will never have because he stole this from her.
These comments suck. And this article sucks even more. What is the point of anything if people aren’t trying to do better and learn and take responsibility and take accountability. The author of this article is flippant and sensationalistic and it’s gross to me. This is someone who has dedicated their life to understanding and teaching others about how to truly hold yourself accountable. The author of this article seems to think that the changes and efforts and accomplishments Mr. Hylton has made are things to be mocked and made fun of. What exactly should the expectation be then? It’s heartbreaking to see the lack of support for people trying to actually take accountability. And for everyone talking about the privacy of the family, I agree! I would direct that towards the author of this article–he is the one splashing around details exploiting the family as the media loves to do.
As a victim of crime myself, it has been meaningful to learn about Leo’s experience with accountability and transformation. This is a person who has fully owned their past while working hard to build a better future. Leo does so much to make this world a safer place and personally, I am thankful for that. To all the people hating: People are so quick to be violent AS they condemn violence, the hypocrisy is next level. If you want a violence-free world, it’s not going to be hatred & dehumanization that gets you there…
Leo’s crime was horrific and nothing can change the extreme damage that was done..no amount of reparations to the victim, or amount of time in prison can undo what was done. What’s also true is that Leo has taken full responsibility for his crime and he has to live with the emotional scar of causing harm along with the trauma of log-term incarceration, which of course pales in comparison to the physical and emotional scars that the Guerrettes have to endure. That being said, having over $70k per year of taxpayer dollars house a redeemed person instead of allowing them to be in the community under DOC care and paying their own taxes makes no sense to me. -and to answer the repetitive question in this comment thread: the state of Maine did not pay for Leo’s higher education degree; he has educated himself through a combination of grants, privately funded programs, and GoFundMe donations from family, friends, colleagues, and supporters all over the country. Please spread truth and compassion before spreading judgement and hate.
“Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public.” ― Cornel West
Leo is hope and hope is rattling- it demands us to reckon with our own ability to change. We can’t believe someone can transform, if we ourselves haven’t been able to do so even in small ways. If we have been able to radically (from the roots) change ourselves than Leo’s journey makes sense, we see ourselves in him. If we are stuck, full of fear, hate and self-doubt then we see that in him. I know Leo personally and there isn’t another human alive that I know who has sat down with themselves in their depths more than Leo. Our community is safer with him free, with him walking with others struggling to change as a guide and mentor. Otherwise we are punishing a human out of our own fear. This is not the world I want.
The thing about hell is that you don’t actually end up there for making one serious mistake and then repenting, redeeming yourself, and working on your shit for the next 25 years. Some of the posters here could learn a thing or two from Leo, especially about faith.
Dear Cheshire Cat,
You say you have experience with Leo and yet you do not make any claims of this man causing any harm. You attack Commissioner Liberty and bemoan low staff morale, but take no responsibility for the petty bickering, hazing, harassment (sexual and otherwise), and other horizontal violence that staff engage in against each other. Rather than coming together to support each other in finding or making meaning out of your jobs (assuming by your labeling of Leo as “Inmate,” you are/were a staff member at Maine State Prison), you target each other, complain about leadership, and target a new “flavor of the week” among the prison population. In fact, unless you outright lie, you cannot name one act of violence that Leo has engaged in for more than a dozen years. Instead (again, unless you choose to use your anonymity to lie through your Cheshire teeth), you cannot refute the well-known fact that Leo has dedicated his entire life to putting his faith into practice, preventing violence among the prison population (including the protection of staff members and administrators), and finding (and creating!) ways to show care and be of service to everyone he encounters—again, including staff and administrators.
Far from shirking or denying responsibility for committing heinous physical harm to William and Nicole Guerrette, Leo now lives his life with the mission of preventing harm and supporting healing and accountability in every space he navigates. Any conversation he has about accountability or repair starts with something to the effect of, “I caused irreparable harm to people who never did anything against me; I can’t repair that harm, so I have a responsibility to prevent and repair harm anywhere and everywhere I can. This is my only avenue of accountability.”
Every act of violence and imprisonment described in these comments only lead to more harm. There is no accountability in punishment. We need to move past punishment and demand accountability from our prison system. As anyone who actually knows him will attest, Leo is doing exactly that. This is a man who can actually help our Maine communities be safer. Our communities are more dangerous with him in prison.
I think those speaking out here claiming they know what’s best for a person they don’t know, or know his full story, are naive and shortsighted. Leo has worked hard to repair the harm he caused with those he affected. He lives in more integrity than anyone I know. If you believe people can’t change, I understand where you’re coming from. I also feel bad for you that you have never changed. When we look inward and put our personal wants aside, we can know right action and live not only as thoughtful, safe citizens, but also go above and beyond and repair harm we’ve caused and create a kinder society. His crime caused so much pain. He never denies this or hides away from it. He’s faced it daily and continues to repair harm he caused and prevent harm, with everyone he meets. When did an eye for eye help anyone see more clearly? I’m saddened by your hardened heart. If you think ‘justice’ means you ‘fight’ for the family he harmed, you are missing the full picture. He fights everyday to make right the harm he caused. Why bring hate and more violence into any situation by throwing hate at someone who is already repairing the harm?
I’m telling you this is the MO at MSP. These guys with decade long sentences all pull the same shit. They cozy up to the officers: any ones that will give them the time of day. They spend a lot of time in the law library and education department they participate in every single program and class, all in hopes of getting in someone’s good graces. I was at MSP, I’ve encountered this man, and he should never be released early. He tries to portray himself as this gentile giant, but the vibes he gives off is anything but. I’m telling you, we don’t want him released, we don’t want him in Maine, he will hurt more people. THEY ALL DO THE SAME THING. They go to restorative justice class, then they start teaching classes. Then they get into college programs and go for the highest college degree possible. They get involved with the NAACP and local politics. They play the long game and will go through any means necessary to not die in prison.