Roger Bolens Pleads Guilty on 12 Indictments, Including Home Invasion, Armed Assault to Murder

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SALEM, Mass. – September 23, 2026 – In Essex County Superior Court today, Roger Bolens, 26, of Augusta, Maine pled guilty to a dozen charges, including armed assault to murder. The charges stem from two incidents which occurred over the weekend of July 26 and July 27 last year in which Bolens attempted to strangle a 19-year-old woman in the restroom of an Andover restaurant. Hours later, he then broke into an Andover residence and strangled and assaulted a woman in her 70s while she was sleeping, leaving her with serious injuries.

Bolens admitted to smothering the woman’s face with a pillow, punching her, dragging her, beating her head against the floor and refrigerator, and stomping on her face with a shod foot. Following an investigation by Andover Police, including Detective Robin Cataldo (ret.) and Detective David Milne, Bolens was identified and arrested.

In court today before the Hon. John C. Fraser, Bolens pled guilty to armed assault to murder on a person 60 or older, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, assault and battery with injury to a person 60 or older, home invasion, breaking and entering into a building in the nighttime for purposes of a felony, four counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (with a victim age 60 or older), strangulation/suffocation, assault and battery, and attempt to commit crime.

Judge Fraser sentenced Bolens to 12 to 15 years incarceration in state prison on the armed assault to murder charge; eight to 10 years, to be served concurrently, on the breaking and entering in nighttime for felony charge; and eight to 10 years, to be served concurrently, on two of the assault and battery with dangerous weapon charges. On the remaining eight charges, the judge sentenced Bolens to five years’ probation following the end of his incarceration. During the probation period, Bolens must comply with all laws, stay away from and have no contact with victims in the case, and undergo mental health treatment if deemed necessary.

Prosecutor Kate MacDougall represented the Commonwealth in the case. Bolens was represented by attorney Patrick Regan.

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