It was the morning of April 3, 1990 and Jacqueline Bevins was all smiles, handing out doughnuts and chatting with the construction crew as they arrived on site for the day. Renovations were underway at the property she and her husband had recently purchased; it was a new entrepreneurial endeavor for the always enterprising Jack and Jackie Bevins.
The quaint oceanside village of Ogunquit, Maine knew Jackie Bevins best for her famous restaurant on Perkins Cove. She served on boards and with the Chamber of Commerce, and was appreciated for her generous nature — a real figure in the York County community. Jack Bevins, too, was well-known about town, though he wasn’t around as much, always traveling for work and other activities. Together they made quite the pair, but it was anything but a happy marriage between Jack and Jackie.
Just hours after the final breakfast pastry was handed out at the construction site, an anonymous phone call came in to the York Police Station. Something bad had happened at the Bevins house.
This case will challenge you. It will raise questions in your mind about consequence and justice, and what happens when an individual decides, or maybe, is forced to take those things into their own hands.
This is the Jack and Jackie Bevins Case, Part 1. Press play for the full story and subscribe so you don’t miss Part 2.
Episode Source Material
- Youths Held in Robbery, Boston Globe, 01 Sep 1960
- Those arrested in FBI raids, Boston Globe, 13 Sep 1972
- 89 arrested in Boston-area gambling raids by William F. Doherty, Boston Globe, 14 Sep 1972
- Woman foils agents trying to seize car, Boston Globe, 01 Mar 1973
- 2 arrested in loanshark indictments, Boston Globe, 25 Apr 1974
- Homicide victim’s son sought by Emily Caldwell and Tom Berg, Journal Tribune, 04 Apr 1990, Reaction, page 2
- Wife charged in York murder by Tom Berg, Biddeford Journal Tribune, 05 Apr 1990, page 2
- Struggle preceded fatal shooting by Emily Caldwell, Journal Tribune, 06 Apr 1990, page 2
- John W. Bevins Obituary
- Bevins’ hearing on bail begins by Emily Caldwell, Biddeford Journal Tribune, 10 Apr 1990, page 2
- No bail for Bevins pending evaluation by Emily Caldwell, Journal Tribune, 10 Apr 1990, page 2
- Bail hearing delayed: Begins to undergo psychological testing by Emily Caldwell, Biddeford Journal Tribune, 11 Apr 1990, page 2
- Bevins to plead wife abuse by Emily Caldwell, Journal Tribune, 25 Apr 1990, page 2
- Witness worries as Bevins makes bail by Emily Caldwell, Biddeford Journal Tribune, 19 Jun 1990
- Opening arguments heard in Bevins case, AP/Bangor Daily News, 18 Oct 1991
- Bevins acquitted of murder, AP/Bangor Daily News, 31 Oct 1991, page 2
- Battered Woman Syndrome/The Self-Defense Theory in Homicide by Joseph D. Thornton, JR., CLI, 31 Oct 1991
- Candidate’s Life: Bullets and Batter to Bread and Butter by Pamela Ferdin, Washington Post, 14 Apr 1999
- Acquitted killer to run for post in Ogunquit, AP/Bangor Daily News, 30 Mar 1999
- Jury selection set to begin in Gogan trial by Brenda Seekins, Bangor Daily News, 14 Mar 2001
- Voters re-elect woman who killed husband, AP/Bangor Daily News, 09 Apr 2001
- A race for three selectmen seats by Jennifer Hagan, Kennebunk York County Coast Star, 20 Mar 2003
- Domestic abuse involved in many Maine homicides by Abigail Curtis, Bangor Daily News, 13 Feb 2010