Daniel Lafrenier listens as Kimberly Gates, Mark Forest’s sister, reads her victim impact statement during a sentencing hearing at York County Superior Court in Biddeford on Wednesday. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

BIDDEFORD — A New Hampshire man was sentenced to 16 years in prison for a deadly shooting in Berwick.

Daniel Lafrenier, 33, pleaded guilty in June to one count of manslaughter in the death of 37-year-old Mark Forest, also of New Hampshire. Lafrenier was sentenced in York County Superior Court on Wednesday to 23 years in total, and will have to serve the full sentence if he violates the terms of his four years of probation. He was also convicted on a charge of having a gun as a prohibited person because of a prior felony conviction.

Mark Forest Photo courtesy of Brittany Forest

Lafrenier shot and killed Forest on the morning on June 12, 2023, after Lafrenier’s mother called and said she had been in an argument with Forest involving missing clothing. She and Forest were staying at the same house in Berwick, according to court records.

Their argument had already ended when Lafrenier arrived with a loaded gun, which he pointed at Forest’s head. Then the gun went off, attorneys said. Superior Court Justice James Martemucci suggested there was a genuine dispute, and that’s why prosecutors reduced the murder charge to manslaughter.

“How did that gun discharge?” Martemucci asked rhetorically. “Was a safety on that gun defective? Did Mr. Forest grab the gun, did he try to push that away?”

Lafrenier has said he didn’t mean to actually shoot Forest. His attorney, Tina Nadeau, said in court that Lafrenier was in the throes of substance use disorder, which worsened with several losses including the death of his 2-year-old son in 2015.

Standing between his lawyers, Lafrenier apologized to Forest’s family.

“I’ll never forget that my carelessness led to the death of another human being,” Lafrenier said. “And I will have to live with that for the rest of my life.”

But Assistant Attorney General Lisa Bogue said Wednesday that Forest was a victim of Lafrenier’s poor choices – to ignore state laws barring him from possessing a firearm, and court orders that he remain in New Hampshire, where he was on bail for another criminal matter.

“While the defendant may not have intentionally caused the death, he did make intentional choices,” Bogue said in court. “He aggressively and intentionally sought Mark out, a person he did not even know. He intentionally had a loaded weapon in his hand while Mark was unarmed.”

DISCOURAGED

Bogue and Forest’s family asked Martemucci to impose the highest sentence possible for manslaughter, 30 years. His older sister Kimberly Gates said after Wednesday’s hearing that she felt discouraged by the judge’s decision.

“I was really upset to find out that he received such a short sentence for killing our brother,” Gates said.

The defense team had requested eight years in prison and four years of probation, but said afterward that the sentence “reflected both the impact of this tragedy and Daniel’s true remorse and his tremendous capacity for rehabilitation,” Nadeau and co-counsel Ashley Slaton said in an email. “No sentence, no matter how severe, will ever bring Mark back to his family. This horrific event has already broken enough hearts – an unmerciful punishment would have only broken Daniel’s spirit.”

Emma Froehling, Mark Forest’s stepdaughter, wore flowers and a photo of Forest with her and her brother Maddax to the sentencing hearing for Daniel Lafrenier on Wednesday. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

Forest’s daughters said in court that their father was incredibly involved in their lives. He was a father of six, they said, even though he officially entered into some of their lives as a stepfather.

Mackenzie Breton and Emma Froehling – carrying pictures of Forest and wearing orange flowers, his favorite color – said they were 5 and 3 years old when he married their mother.

“He accepted me and my sister as his daughters, period,” Froehling told the court.

Forest was a protector and a provider, a skilled electrician who dreamed of opening his own businesses and employing his sons, his family said. They grieved the dreams and milestones he will miss.

“The regrets, they are consuming at all times,” said Froehling, who had a victim witness advocate read her remarks. “I wouldn’t wish anyone to feel this way – but we have to and are forced to due to Mr. Lafrenier.”

Forest’s wife, Brittany, was sitting on the couch with him when he was shot. She said in court Wednesday that he was her soulmate – they looked forward to building a house of their own and growing old together. Sometimes, she said, she’ll hear a song they enjoyed or a joke he used to tell, and the memories of the shooting will overwhelm her.

“The pain and devastation I felt in that moment are indescribable,” she said. “Looking into his eyes in that moment, and feeling so helpless … trying to help him in anyway I could and not knowing what to do … these moments are forever etched into my head.”

DRUG RELATED SITUATION

Martemucci told Forest’s family that his decision was in no way a reflection of Forest’s worth. But the judge said he believed Lafrenier was truly remorseful.

Nadeau said in court that Lafrenier apologized immediately after the gun went off (although Bogue pointed out that Lafrenier fled the scene and didn’t stay to call 911).

Martemucci said he couldn’t ignore the impact of substance use disorder in this case, either.

“I am not ignorant nor blind to the fact that this was a drug-related situation,” Martemucci said. “Most people in that house were either using drugs or under the influence of drugs. That is not something that is lost on the court, including, and tragically, Mr. Forest.”

Lafrenier’s family was also at the hearing, sitting on the opposite side of the room from Forest’s. 

Members of Lafrenier’s family declined to speak with a reporter after the hearing, but his cousin, Brittany Lafrenier, asked the judge for leniency.

Justice James Martemucci, seen at left on a television screen, addresses Daniel Lafrenier as he announces a sentence of 23 years with all but 16 suspended at Lafrenier’s sentencing hearing in York County Superior Court in Biddeford on Wednesday. Lafrenier was charged with manslughter after pleading guilty to killing Mark Forest in Berwick in 2023. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

She said the two were always close, in a “well-blended” family of cousins, uncles, aunts and close friends.

“My cousin is not an evil monster,” Brittany Lafrenier said. “He’s always felt he’s the protector of the family, and though he felt there may have been a reason to be protective, the actions following the incident are uncharacteristic for him.”

She noted many losses, including the deaths of his son, his sister, his stepmother and his mother about a month after the shooting. She also noted his struggles with substance use disorder. Lafrenier said in court that he has been sober since the arrest.

“I do believe Danny can overcome his wrongdoings and become a true contributor to life once again,” Brittany Lafrenier said.