A Biddeford man accused of shooting his landlord to death in September 2021 is preparing to go to trial at the end of the month after more than a two-year wait.

Jury selection in the trial of Randal Hennessey, who is accused of shooting Douglas Michaud Jr. six times on their apartment porch, is set to begin on June 24. In a pre-trial hearing in York County Superior Court on Tuesday, attorneys disputed for more than an hour which details about the crime the jury would be allowed to hear.

Hennessey pleaded not guilty in December 2021 to charges of intentional and knowing murder and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

At Tuesday’s hearing, his defense attorney, George Hess, and Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Ackerman debated whether any evidence about Hennessey’s character should be excluded, such as terms like “passive-aggressive” to describe the defendant. The judge ultimately ruled that evidence couldn’t be used.

According to court documents, Hennessey shot Michaud five times on the front porch of their apartment building. When Michaud’s girlfriend, Jamie Wakefield, was attempting to help him, Hennessey came back outside, and shot Michaud once more in the head and fled on a dirt bike, riding along the railroad tracks until he surrendered to police in New Hampshire.

Wakefield, who was pregnant at the time, told officers several times that “Randy,” referring to Hennessey, shot her boyfriend, court records show. Attorneys also debated Tuesday whether to tell the jury that Wakefield was pregnant at the time of the shooting.

Hess said the detail would be used as a “big hammer” to invoke the jury’s emotional reactions. Ackerman argued it was relevant because Wakefield was taken to the hospital after the shooting to ensure her pregnancy was still healthy. In the ambulance ride and on body camera footage, she told authorities that Hennessey was the shooter. The judge agreed with Ackerman.

Friends of Michaud told the Press Herald in 2021 that he had a bright future with Wakefield. He was excited for fatherhood and was training to be a firefighter. They said he loved motorcycles, vintage cars and always helped others.

Wakefield told police after the shooting that Michaud was “was in the process of evicting (Hennessey) who is a tenant in the building” and that Hennessey was confrontational with her when she came home before the shooting, according to court records.

Ackerman suggested Hess would claim the shooting was in self-defense, even though Michaud was shot in the back. Hess, who did not respond to a phone message Tuesday asking to discuss the case, didn’t give any indication of his defense strategy in court Tuesday.

It’s taken more than two years to bring the case to trial. In November 2022, Hennessey asked that his court-appointed attorney, Tina Nadeau, be replaced because he believed she was not representing him to the extent they should. Nadeau withdrew from the case and the judge appointed Hess.

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