Maine Mother Claims Abuse by Ex-Husband After Daughter's Murder Conviction
Sharon Kennedy, a 41-year-old mother-of-three currently incarcerated for the murder of her 10-year-old daughter, has publicly asserted for the first time that she was a victim of her "controlling and abusive" ex-husband. Kennedy was convicted in 2020 of depraved indifference murder in the death of Marissa Kennedy, whose body was discovered on the floor of their Stockton Springs home in February 2018.
"I feel like I was not heard," Kennedy declared during an exclusive interview on Patrisha McLean's podcast, Let's Talk About It!, marking her first public remarks since her conviction. "If I just knew about domestic violence in the beginning of this relationship, it would have come to a stop in a heartbeat instead of escalating like this," she added, reflecting on the tragic circumstances.
Horrific Details of Abuse Emerge
The medical examiner classified Marissa's case as "battered child syndrome," with prosecutors detailing months of horrific injuries that included bleeding on the brain and a lacerated liver. Authorities stated that both Sharon Kennedy and her ex-husband, Julio Carrillo, admitted to taking turns beating Marissa for five months leading to her death.
During her trial, Kennedy's defense attorney argued there was no physical evidence directly linking her to the murder and claimed her confession to detectives was false. Kennedy did not testify in her own defense. She ultimately received a 48-year sentence at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham, while Carrillo was handed 55 years for the same charge in 2019.
Allegations of Control and Isolation
In her podcast interview, Kennedy claimed she was unaware of how much control Carrillo exerted over her and admitted she "kinda went along with it." "I was not able to talk and tell my story, and it is time to get everything out there and let the public know what I went through and what kind of domestic violence that my daughter and I encountered," she explained.
Kennedy described meeting Carrillo in 2013 while working together at a Wal-Mart in New York, recalling him initially as "kind." However, she alleged he soon began isolating her after they moved to Bangor, Maine, following their honeymoon. "He thought Maine was a nice place," she said, despite her having no support network there.
Patterns of Physical and Emotional Abuse
The mother detailed multiple forms of abuse she endured, listing: "Broke my eyeglasses so I couldn't see, forced me to have sex even in front of my kids and strangled me in front of Marissa until I thought I was gonna die." These incidents were corroborated during her 2020 trial by witnesses and neighbors who described disturbing behavior patterns.
Neighbors testified hearing Carrillo call Kennedy "retarded," hearing her cry, and noting that everyone in their building feared him. Kennedy's own father stated that Carrillo transformed his daughter from a caring mother into a "scared, domineered shell of her former self."
Contradictions in Abuse Narratives
While authorities stated both parents admitted to beating Marissa, Kennedy now claims Carrillo was primarily responsible. "Everybody who testified, not once have I got pointed to as being the monster in this relationship, being the one who did this to my daughter," she asserted. "Everything pointed to him."
Court documents revealed that the couple punished Marissa by forcing her to kneel on painful kitchen tiles while whipping her with a leather belt. A photo shown at trial depicted both Kennedy and her daughter disrobed and kneeling with hands raised. Kennedy alleged during the podcast that Carrillo sexually abused both her and Marissa in that position.
Final Months of Marissa's Life
Prosecutors said the abuse began in October 2017 and continued until February 22 or 23, 2018, by which time Marissa could no longer walk or speak without slurring. Carrillo told police that Kennedy believed Marissa was faking her condition and beat her at least one more time. After Marissa's death, Kennedy claimed Carrillo moved the body to conceal the crime.
Marissa was found by police in an upstairs bedroom under a blanket. The couple's two younger children, then aged one and two, were present during their sister's death and were subsequently taken into custody by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.
Aftermath and Personal Reflection
In the six years since her conviction, Kennedy said she has become a certified victim advocate, helping other inmates recognize abuse, and has begun parenting classes. She is also pursuing a bachelor's degree while incarcerated. "I'm bettering myself to prove to the outside world that I'm not the person that everybody thinks I am," she stated.
Reflecting on her daughter, Kennedy noted: "If she was still living right now, she would be graduating from high school this year. Her life was taken way too soon, at 10 years old, and what he did to her was the worst thing that a mother can see happening to her child."
A DHHS report released after Kennedy's sentencing highlighted red flags, including Carrillo's insistence on being present during questioning of Kennedy or Marissa. The Daily Mail has reached out to attorneys for both Kennedy and Carrillo for further comment on these latest allegations.
