Friends of the Biddeford man who was shot and killed Tuesday on the steps of the apartment building he owned and lived in remembered him as a generous, kind person who was looking forward to becoming a father.

Douglas Michaud Jr., 31, was slain in front of his girlfriend, Jamie Wakefield, according to court documents. She is pregnant with their son and is due on Dec. 6.

Randal J. Hennessey, 30, made his initial appearance in court Thursday to face a murder charge in connection with the killing. Hennessey was arrested in New Hampshire on Tuesday night and has been in custody since.

Michaud remodeled the Union Street apartment building where the shooting happened and lived on the third floor with Wakefield. Hennessey lived on the second floor and was in the process of being evicted.

“Doug would do anything for anyone. He was always trying to help other people,” said Terra Johnson, the owner of Tulu Salon in Biddeford where Wakefield is her business partner. “He made Jamie extremely happy and he adored her. He was excited about becoming a father.”

Johnson was interviewed by phone Thursday night while attending a candlelight vigil for Michaud in Lyman. Johnson said about 150 people attended. She said Wakefield and Michaud had been together for about three years and had bright future.

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Johnson said Michaud visited the salon two or three times a day, dropping in to say hello or to bring gifts and food. Johnson said Michaud was extremely tall, funny, and always had smile on his face.

Michaud recognized that fatherhood would bring additional responsibilities so he approached the Biddeford Fire Department about three months ago and had started training to become a firefighter, Johnson said.

But his true passion was motorcycles and vintage cars, she said.

Friends of Douglas Michaud will honor his love of motorcycles and raise money for his girlfriend and their child with an event Sept. 26. Courtesy Taylor Mikenas

“He was big time into motorcycles,” Johnson said. His passion for motorcycles and cars will be recognized at a fundraiser in York County on Sept. 26.

“Doug loved anything with an engine in it,” Taylor Mikenas, a close friend of Wakefield’s who lives in Epping, New Hampshire, said Thursday night.

Mikenas decided to organize “Dougie’s Ride,” a fundraiser to support Wakefield and her unborn son, Luca. Mikenas, who posted a flyer promoting the event on social media, said she is expecting up to 1,000 participants, who will ride or drive from the Waterboro Eagles club to Iron Tails Saloon in Acton.

“On Tuesday, Sept. 14, an unimaginable, horrific crime was committed as Doug Michaud was evicting a tenant,” Mikenas wrote in the event flyer. “He was slain in front of his pregnant girlfriend. The community is coming together to raise money to support Jamie and Luca in their darkest time.”

Registration for Dougie’s Ride will begin at 8:30 a.m. A raffle will be held following the ride.

Johnson’s brother, Paul Johnson of Scarborough, has helped organize a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe to support Wakefield and her child. The campaign had raised close to $30,000 by late Thursday.

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