In the Boothbay region, no one will forget August 21, 2004 the day Jon Dilley killed his mother, Sarah "Sally" Murray, and his estranged wife, Chevelle "Chellie" Calloway. It was a day that sent shockwaves of disbelief and horror throughout the community.

On October 25, Dilley's attorney, Steven C. Peterson of Rockport, appealed to the Supreme Court for re-sentencing hearing or a new trial.

Dilley is currently serving a sentence of two consecutive 30-year terms for his crimes.

Peterson argued that the sentence should not have been imposed because the state's average sentence in manslaughter cases is 15 years. He also said that consecutive terms were inappropriate because the crimes were not committed in separate "episodes."

At the late September trial in 2006, Peterson suggested his client receive two, concurrent, ten-year sentences - with five years suspended. Peterson also said that his client had been in a disassociated state at the time of the killings, information confirmed at the trial by two state forensic psychologists.

In short, 15 years for killing two women - in front of Dilley and Calloway's two children - is the state's average manslaughter sentence when there is one victim.

Peterson further argued at the appeal hearing by questioning the admission of a co-worker's testimony regarding a conversation with Dilley two years prior to the murders.

Additionally, Peterson said the court should not have considered a community impact statement from an anti-domestic violence group.

New Hope For Women, out of Rockland, wrote the statement read at the trial that Peterson referred to.

"According to Peterson, the statement was `unfairly prejudicial,'" said New Hope's attorney Cheryl Ayer who was present at the hearing with New Hope executive director Kathleen Morgan.

"The defense was trying to downplay the domestic violence factor. But, the man killed his mother and his wife in front of their children - how could it not be a case of domestic violence?" Ayer said.

"I expect we (the public) will hear something within the next six weeks because this is such a high-profile case."