A 21-year-old man admitted to murdering his 52 year-old female co-worker after he became infatuated with her.
Spridal Hubiak appeared emotionless at the Kennebec County Superior Courthouse on Friday when he pleaded guilty in the fatal stabbing of 52-year-old Angela Bragg - a mother of two and grandmother of eight.
The teen initially pleaded not guilty earlier this year, but underwent a court-ordered mental health evaulation so he understood his guilty charge. The judge accepted his new plea.
The victim and Hubiak were working together at Damon's Beverage located in Waterville, Maine, on the night of the December 2023 murder.
He faces up to 25 years in prison. His sentencing date has not yet been announced.
Prosecutors said that Hubiak had a preoccupation with Bragg and evidence revealed that he had made plans to kill her in the weeks leading up to her death.
One of the notes that showed premediated intent in his possession read: ' Angela hadn't done anything to provoke it... he just wanted to do it.'
On the night of the murder, Hubiak locked the doors 45 minutes before closing.
Surveillance footage captured him pacing behing Bragg holding a sharp object while she was behind the cash register.
He then said, 'I'm sorry,' as he plunged the knife into Bragg stabbing her repeatedly, as per court documents.
Bragg screamed and pleaded with him to stop telling him, 'We can fix this,' before she passed out.
Hubiak than dragged Bragg's bleeding and lifeless body into the tasting room. Bragg was still breathing at that point, as per an affidavit report, WGME News reported.
A co-worker found her body and made the grisly discovery around 4.30am the next day, December 28, 2023.
After the murder, Hubiak fled the scene but police later found him sleeping in his car. He led them on a chase. After he crashed his car, he got out of the vehicle holiding an AR-style weapon.
A deputy shot him multiple times before he was taken into custody, as per the news outlet.
During his plea hearing, Hubiak waived his right to a trial and told the judge he understood the charges and the implications of his guilty plea.
When the judge asked if he was under the influence of any medication or disorder that might impair his understanding of his guilty plea, Hubiak assured her that he was capable of comprehending the proceedings.
The judge said, 'I do find there is sufficient evidence to support this charge, and that the plea is voluntary,' per News Center Maine.
Bragg's devastated daughters - Kayla and Caitlyn - called Hubiak's relationship to their mother 'motherly' and said Hubiak would often give her gifts.
According to her obituary, Angela was affectionately known as 'Angel' by many.
She worked as a Certified Residential Medication Aide (CRMA) primarily in nursing homes, besides her job at the Damon's Beverages.
Her children said her family was their mother's world. Her grandchildren called her 'nana,' and she was 'the glue that held her family together.'
They said she will be remembered for her 'heart of gold.'
But, Bragg's daughters still struggle to make sense of what happened.
They told the news outlet: 'Why did he do it? Why were only two people on shift that night? Why, if he was writing in his journals that he had dark thoughts of killing someone, did he choose their mother?
Caitlyn said, 'the prosecution told me, ‘He chose her; it was just a matter of when he would do it.'