29-year-old Bristol County man sentenced to prison for murdering romantic partner’s ex-husband

BOSTON, April 6, 2026 – A Suffolk Superior court judge today sentenced a North Attleboro man to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years for the 2024 shooting death of a 41-year-old man, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.

A jury on Friday convicted 29-year-old Widmaer Lapaix of North Attleboro of second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of 41-year-old Maceo Martin of Boston on October 8, 2024.

Video surveillance, forensic evidence, and witness statements revealed that after 1:00 a.m. on October 8, 2024, Martin was outside 17 Hammond Street, an apartment building where his ex-wife lived with their children. Martin was ringing the doorbell and shouting insults outside of the building while his ex-wife was inside with their children and Lapaix. While Martin’s ex-wife was in the front entryway attempting to get Martin to leave, Lapaix came downstairs armed with a Kel-Tec rifle that he lawfully owned and fired one shot through the entryway window at Martin. Martin was struck in the chest and transported to Boston Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Martin, a father of two, was remembered by his family for his love and sense of humor. During today’s sentencing hearing, one of Martin’s sisters said, “to know Maceo, was to know his infectious laugh.” Another sister said, “his laugh, his smile, his silly joyful spirit – those are the memories that remain and those are the memories you can never take from us.”

In a brief statement to the court prior to being sentenced, Lapaix apologized to Martin’s family and his own family.

Hayden called Martin’s death “a tragic outcome of quick and terrible decision-making by a person holding a gun.”

“There were other ways this situation could and should have been handled, but those other ways were left unexplored.  One life was ended and another dramatically altered as a result,” Hayden said.