Wells man pleads not guilty to murdering niece, attempted murder of brother and father

ALFRED, Maine — A Wells man has pleaded not guilty to charges he murdered his niece and tried to murder his father and brother during a day of family fighting in May.

Andrew Huber Young, 19, is facing one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, and two counts of aggravated assault, all of which stem from an incident at his family’s home at 97 Crediford Road on Saturday, May 21.

Huber Young virtually entered his pleas in York County Superior Court on Friday, July 1. He had been indicted on the five counts by a grand jury on June 7.

Superior Court Judge Richard Mulhern had denied the defense’s motion to allow Huber Young to appear in person as he entered his pleas on Friday. However, Mulhern did grant a motion to allow Huber Young to dress in civilian clothes for the occasion.

At his first court appearance back in May, Huber Young had appeared, via Zoom, the online videoconferencing platform, in light-blue protective coverings while sitting in a holding room at York County Jail.

Currently, Huber Young is being held without bail at the jail.

Huber Young was arrested and charged with murder on Sunday, May 22, one day after the shooting death of his 22-month-old niece, Octavia, at his home.

Standing on the small deck of his home, and locked out of the house, Huber Young allegedly opened fire through the glass window of the side door, injured his brother, Ethan, 22, and his father, Mark, 56, and struck his niece with a bullet that would prove fatal later that evening.

Previous story: Brothers' fight over T-shirt led to death of 22-month-old girl in Wells, Maine, police say

After the incident — as his family rushed to York Hospital’s urgent care facility a few miles away — Huber Young went to the Wells Police Department and is said to have told the dispatcher on duty, “I (expletive) up and accidentally shot at my (expletive) family.”

Police: Dispute began over a T-Shirt

The shootings were the culmination of family tensions that started earlier that morning with an argument over a T-shirt between Huber Young and his brother, according to the affidavit filed by Detective Conner Walton, of the Maine State Police.

According to the affidavit, Huber Young went with his girlfriend to a baseball game in Portland after the T-shirt argument. The trip, however, did not serve as a break in the conflict, as Huber Young and his brother allegedly continued to antagonize each other with texts.

According to court documents, Huber Young had stolen his father’s .22-caliber Ruger Mark 6 handgun and used it in the incident, which occurred that day at around 4:30 p.m.

She was the ‘light of everyone’s life’: Family devastated over toddler's shooting death

In May, Mulhern granted a request that Huber Young not come into contact in any way with his father, his brother, and Octavia’s mother, Samantha Higgins, 23. Violating this order would be a Class C felony offense, Mulhern noted.

Attorney General Megan Elam is representing the state. If brought to trial and convicted, Huber Young could face a minimum of 25 years in prison and could spend the rest of his life there.

Next, Huber Young is scheduled for a bail hearing on Friday, July 29. According to state law, the hearing can include testimonies, affidavits, and “other reliable hearsay evidence” that will help the court determine whether or not Huber Young should remain held at the jail without bail.

A status conference for the case has been set for Aug. 8.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Wells ME man charged with killing toddler niece pleads not guilty