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Former Waterville man serving prison sentence for 1996 murder has died

WARREN – A Waterville man serving a 40-year sentence for murder, burglary and robbery died Friday in the Maine State Penitentiary.

Stephen Lee Photo courtesy of Maine Department of Corrections

In a press release issued Friday by the Department of Corrections, the man was identified as 50-year-old Stephen Lee, who died shortly before 11:30 a.m. after being cared for by medical personnel.

Per Department of Corrections policy, the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the State Chief Medical Examiner were notified.

Lee was charged with murder in 1996, and in May 1997 the Kennebec County Superior Court sentenced him to 40 years in prison. He was also serving a concurrent sentence for robbery and burglary.

Lee pleaded guilty in April 1997 to murder and other charges in connection with the death of 76-year-old Madeline Tardiff of Winslow. Lee, who was 21 at the time, beat and strangled the woman in her bed on March 23, 1996, then robbed her of about $90 in cash.

At the time, Lee admitted to family members that he killed Tardiff because he had “betrayed” him when he helped her shovel snow off the woman's roof.

Authorities said at the time that Lee was fascinated by Satanism and pornography and that he told Tardiff, “I am Satan,” before killing her.

At his sentencing in May 1997, Lee's mother made an impassioned plea for leniency for her son. Lee apologized, saying, “I am sorry for what (Tardiff's) family has to go through because of this genuine error of judgment. I regret it and wish it had never happened.”

Assistant Attorney General William Stokes, who argued for the maximum sentence of 45 years in prison, said Lee “has been a violent man and I see little indication that he will stop being a violent man in the future.”

A Kennebec County judge imposed a 40-year prison sentence because Lee had strong family support. Lee's mother said her son had a difficult childhood, with seizures, suicide attempts and a stay in a mental hospital. Lee dropped out of school in eighth grade and suffered from substance abuse, she said.

Lee's earliest possible release date would have been June 2032.

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