Content warning: This article mentions intimate partner violence and murder. Please take care while reading.
A former SpaceX engineer is in custody after his wife was found dead and his mother was found critically injured at a home in Readfield, ME, on Wed. Feb. 19 this year. The suspect, 34-year-old Sam Whittemore, has been accused of killing Margeaux after undergoing a mental health evaluation.
According to the Maine State Police, Whittemore and his wife, Margeaux Whittemore, 32, from Belfast, ME, were visiting Sam’s mother, Dorothy Whittemore, 67, in Reading when officers responded to a 911 call at around 10 am reporting an incident at Dorothy’s house.
When police arrived, they found Margeaux dead outside the home. Dorothy, meanwhile, was discovered seriously injured but alive inside the house and transported to a nearby hospital. Her condition has since been upgraded. Multiple reports state Margeaux’s body was found without clothing.
Sam was arrested near the crime scene
When police arrived, Sam had allegedly fled the scene but was arrested nearby and evaluated at Maine General Hospital in Augusta before he was booked at the Kennebec County Jail. Margeaux’s autopsy confirmed she died by homicide, but her exact cause of death has not been announced.
Whittemore’s father and Dorothy’s husband, Henry Whittemore, was not at home when the incident happened but came back shortly after the police arrived. Dorothy’s status has not been updated. A possible motive has not been reported. The nature of Dorothy’s injuries has also not been revealed, and it’s unclear if Sam has also been charged for her injuries.
The “perfect life” shattered
Margeaux’s death, Dorothy’s injuries, and Sam’s arrest have shattered the idyllic lifestyle the young couple seemed to lead. According to her Instagram account, which has not been updated since October last year, Margeaux was a yoga instructor. Meanwhile, Sam — a “passionate engineer and sailor,” his LinkedIn says — left Elon Musk’s SpaceX in 2021. According to LinkedIn, Sam is now a self-employed engineer for Coral Gardeners, designing, building, and deploying equipment used in coral reef restoration.
Margeaux’s account shows the couple visiting exotic locations on Sam’s 50-foot yacht, the Havili. After traveling the world, the Daily Mail says Sam and Margeaux moved to Belfast, ME, only a month before Margeaux died and Dororthy was injured. According to Margeaux’s Instagram, the couple married in September last year, and Margeaux captioned pictures from the wedding in part, “When are we going sailing together? Forever.”
Sam was initially scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 21. The hearing was delayed when his attorney questioned his competency to appear. A judge ordered Sam to undergo further mental health evaluation before hearings could proceed, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Just last April, Dorothy, who reportedly sometimes goes by Darcy, wrote a Kennebec Journal op-ed calling on Maine to enact “red flag” laws allowing law enforcement and family members to confiscate firearms from high-risk individuals who may harm themselves or others.
If you are experiencing domestic abuse, or if you believe someone you know is being abused, contact The National Domestic Violence Hotline. The hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-SAFE or spoken with online via the hotline’s website. Mobile phone owners can also text “START” to the number 88788
Published: Feb 24, 2025 02:42 pm