Justice prevailed. On January 8, the Maine Supreme Court denied Jon Dilley's appeal of his manslaughter convictions in May of 2006.

Dilley murdered his mother, Sarah "Sally" Murray and estranged wife Chevelle "Chellie" Calloway at Murray's West Boothbay Harbor residence in August 2004, in the presence of the couple's children.

Dilley's attorney Steven Peterson maintained his argument that the deaths of the two women were separate and did not warrant the consecutive 30-year terms of incarceration.

Peterson claimed that Dilley's abnormal state of mind at the time of the murders could have permitted the jury to find him not guilty.

Further, the jury's verdict, which found him guilty of manslaughter, and not murder, carried the implication that the jury was not in complete agreement on Dilley's state of mind.

In the State of Maine, if it can be demonstrated that a person commits an act in an altered state, he or she can be found not guilty due to this said state.

Fortunately, for the loved ones these two women were forced to leave behind, the court upheld the original verdict.

Assistant Attorney General Lisa Marchese represented the State at trial and argued the case on appeal. Assistant Attorney General Don Macomber wrote the State's brief on the appeal.