ALFRED — A New York man originally charged with murder in the deaths of two men in Biddeford in 2014 pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter on Monday.

Fuquan Prince Wilson, 37, of Bronx, New York, changed his plea to guilty to the charges in York County Superior Court on Monday, having previously pleaded not guilty to the July 2014 shooting deaths of Jeffrey Lude, 37, of Biddeford, and Russell Lavoie, 42, of Old Orchard Beach, in July.

Wilson had also previously pleaded not guilty to charges of possessing a firearm by a felon, for which he was wanted in relation to drug charges in New York.

Both Lude and Lavoie died of multiple gunshot wounds at an apartment at 19 Western Ave., Biddeford, in what police said at the time was a drug-related confrontation.

Following the shooting, Wilson, who goes by the street name “P,” remained at large for more than a 1 1/2 years before he was captured in March 2016 by officers with the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force in the Bronx.

According to police, at around 7 p.m. on July 6, 2014, David Cockran – the tenant of Apt. 101 at the Western Avenue address where the shootings occurred – had four friends over to watch movies and smoke marijuana.

Cockran had allowed Wilson to use the apartment to sell drugs in exchange for marijuana, cigarettes, food and gas, police said.

Wilson arrived around 2 p.m. and began arguing with Cockran’s guests, according to police. Lude and Lavoie entered several hours later, allegedly armed with a rubber mallet and pellet gun to steal drugs, when Wilson began firing at them, police said.

The two later died of their injuries, and it is believed Wilson fled the state at that time.

Police identified Wilson as the shooter weeks after the incident. He was charged by secret indictment February 2016 by a York County grand jury prior to his arrest and extradited to Maine for his July arraignment.

Assistant Maine Attorney General John Alsop did not comment on the plea change, but said Wilson will be sentenced sometime in May — an exact date has not been set.

A trial for Wilson was set to begin Monday, and a jury for the case had been selected on March 21, Alsop said Wednesday.

Manslaughter is a Class A crime, which carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison and fines upward of $50,000.

— Staff Writer Alan Bennett can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or abennett@journaltribune.com.