Forensic science has come a long way in 50 years, and recently it helped solve a 50 year old unsolved murder in New Hampshire. Today's blog is about that story.
50-year-old New Hampshire cold case solved after new analysis, investigators say
Judy Lord, 22, was found dead in her Concord apartment in May 1975Nov 24, 2025. WMTW-TV, Portland, Maine, Kirk Enstrom CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire officials announced Monday that they have solved a 50-year-old murder case in which a 22-year-old woman was found dead in her Concord apartment.
Attorney General John Formella said a review of the 1975 death of Judy Lord determined that she was killed by her neighbor, Ernest Theodore Gable.
"I'm proud to say but also solemnly say that we can bring long-awaited closure to this case," Formella said.
Formella said Gable will not face justice in the case because he was stabbed to death in 1987 in Los Angeles.
Lord was 22 years old when she was found strangled to death inside her home at the Royal Gardens apartment complex on May 20, 1975. She was living with her 17-month-old son at the time, and the baby's cries led the building's apartment manager to discover Lord's body, according to WMTW sister station WMUR.
Senior Assistant Attorney General Christopher Knowles, who runs the state's Cold Case Unit, said the original Concord police investigation was thorough, and Gable was identified as a suspect early in the case. But he said a flawed hair analysis by the FBI incorrectly excluded Gable as a suspect.
Knowles said there was evidence that Lord was sexually assaulted. Semen found on a towel matched Gable's blood type, and fingerprints at the scene were also a match, Knowles said.
Knowles called the circumstantial evidence "overwhelming" before hair samples were sent to the FBI, which conducted a microscopic analysis of the hairs. That technique was considered to be the gold standard in hair analysis, and Knowles said the FBI was the leading authority. But the technique has since been discredited, and Knowles said it is no longer a tool used by investigators.
New DNA analysis definitively linked Gable to the crime, and the new analysis by the Cold Case Unit allowed investigators to remove the FBI report from the case, Knowles said.
Several of Lord's family members were at Monday's press conference watching the announcement. Her son, Gregory Lord Jr. was watching virtually and sent a statement saying his mother will always be with him.
"I'm told I look just like my mom, and I'm proud of that," he said.
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