One of the first lessons learned in life is if you play with fire, you’re going to get burned. The second lesson is that actions have consequences, sometimes deadly ones, as two witnesses in a murder trial in Machias learned the hard way in November 2021.

On trial for murder at Washington County Superior Court are Emanuel “Chepu” Ramos, 32, of Roxbury, Massachusetts, and Juan “Bebo” Ortiz, 29, of Concord, New Hampshire.