WARREN — A Waterville man serving a 40-year sentence for murder as well as burglary and robbery died Friday at the Maine State Prison.

Stephen Lee Photo courtesy of Maine Department of Corrections

In a Department of Corrections news release issued Friday, the man was identified as Stephen Lee, 50, who died shortly before 11:30 a.m. after being attended by medical staff.

Under Department of Corrections policy, the state Attorney General’s Office and the Office of Chief Medical Examiner were notified.

Lee was charged with murder in 1996 and was sentenced in Kennebec County Superior Court to serve 40 years in prison in May 1997. He was also serving concurrent sentences for robbery and burglary.

Lee pleaded guilty to murder and other charges in April 1997 in connection with the beating death of 76-year-old Madeline Tardiff, of Winslow. Lee, who was 21 at the time, beat and strangled the woman in her bed on March 23, 1996, and then robbed her of about $90 in cash.

At the time, Lee admitted to family members he killed Tardiff for “ripping him off” when he helped shovel snow from the woman’s roof.

Authorities said at the time that Lee was fascinated by Satanism and pornography, and Lee told Tardiff “I am Satan” before killing her.

At his sentencing hearing in May 1997, Lee’s mother passionately pleaded for leniency for her son. Lee issued an apology, saying: “I’m sorry for what (Tardiff’s) family has to go through because of this real judgement mistake. I have remorse and wish it had never happened.”

Assistant Attorney General William Stokes, who argued for the maximum sentence of 45 years in prison, said Lee was “a violent man and I don’t see much indication he’s going to stop being a violent man in the future.”

A Kennebec County justice handed down a sentence of 40 years, reasoning that Lee had strong family support. Lee’s mother testified that her son had a tough time growing up, with seizures, suicide attempts and a stay at a mental health center. Lee dropped out of school in eighth grade and struggled with substance abuse, she said.

Lee’s earliest possible release date would have been June 2032.