PORTLAND, Maine — A federal jury on Tuesday found a New Hampshire man guilty of interstate domestic violence and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence in connection with a home invasion in 2014 in Saco, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

Gregory Owens, 59, of Londonderry, New Hampshire, now must face 13 state charges, including aggravated attempted murder and elevated aggravated assault, in York County Superior Court for allegedly driving to a Saco home on Dec. 18, 2014, and shooting his ailing wife and the homeowner.





His trial began Feb. 2 in U.S. District Court in Portland before Judge Nancy Torresen.

Neither a sentencing date on the federal charges nor a trial date on state charges has been set, according to court documents.

Owens drove from New Hampshire to Maine intending to kill his wife who was an overnight guest at the home of friends living in Saco, according to a press release issued Tuesday by the U.S. attorney’s office. During the home invasion, Owens shot his wife and the homeowner with a pistol. Both survived their injuries and testified for the prosecution during Owens’ trial.

Federal prosecutors said Owens feared his mistress in Wisconsin was about to tell his wife of their affair.

The investigation into the incident began when Saco police were called to a home at 25 Hillview Ave. just before 3 a.m., after a man called to say he had been shot by an intruder and was hiding in a closet in the home. Police were informed there might be other victims in the house.

Police found Owens’ 55-year-old wife, who was staying with the Saco couple for a few days, suffering from multiple gunshots. Officers also found the homeowner suffering from gunshot wounds in the residence.

The homeowners awoke to the sound of breaking glass, according to the affidavit. The woman barricaded herself in a bedroom while the man went into the hall and saw a man wearing a ski mask and carrying a handgun, according to trial testimony.

Prosecutors argued that Owens, a retired U.S. army sergeant major trained as an expert marksman, then went to the bedroom where his wife was sleeping and shot at her four times, striking her body three times, including one bullet to the back of her head.

He then returned to the bedroom where the homeowner was and shot him through a closet door, striking him three times in the arm.

New Hampshire state troopers stopped Owens later in the morning of Dec. 18, 2014, in Londonderry to notify him his wife had been shot. Owens then told police several different stories about the night before, according to court documents.

Owens faces up to 20 years in prison on the interstate domestic violence charge because the jury found that life threatening bodily injury occurred and no less than 10 years and up to life on the firearm charge, which must be served consecutively, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. He also faces a $250,000 fine on each count.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call 866-834-4357, TRS 800-787-3224. This free, confidential service is available 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in Maine.