8-yr-old Maine Murder Case Ends With Conviction Of 3 People This Month

The murder case of 48-year-old Wayne Foss, whose body was found following a fire in his home in 2017, has finally come to a close.

According to the Maine Department of Public Safety, members of the Maine State Police, the Major Crimes Unit, and authorities who specialize in unsolved cases, along with U.S. Marshals, have been working together for the last 8 years. Their mission has been to see that justice was served by the individuals they say stabbed Foss, left him for dead, and then set his Whitneyville house on fire with him inside.

Shannon Moss, with the Department of Public Safety, says the case got some traction in 2023, when the Washington Count Grand Jury indicted 35-year-old Justin Matthews of Robbinston, 29-year-dol Basilio Liranzo of New York (who was already serving time in Maine for another crime) and 27-year-old Leanza Boney, also of New York, on murder charges.

"Over the past several months, all three individuals pleaded guilty to charges related to Mr. Foss’s death. The final sentencing, for Justin Matthews, occurred on May 8, 2025. Matthews was sentenced on Felony Murder to 16 years all but 10 years suspended with 4 years’ probation. Liranzo was sentenced to Felony Murder and Arson for 16 years; Boney was sentenced on Conspiracy to Commit Murder and sentenced to 16 years all but 5 years suspended with 4 years’ probation."

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Moss says these indictments and subsequent sentences in the Foss case show that, regardless of the time that passes, authorities in Maine are committed to solving cases and obtaining justice for the victims of homicide and the families they left behind.

If you have information regarding an unsolved missing persons or murder case, authorities ask that you contact the Maine State Police in Augusta by calling 1-800-452-4664.