Booking Photographs of Ernest “Ernie” Gable taken on Dec. 6, 1979. Credit: NH DOJ
Attorney General John M. Formella, New Hampshire State Police Colonel Mark B. Hall, Concord Police Chief Bradley C. Osgood, and the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit announce the successful resolution of the five-decades-long investigation into the cold case murder of Judith “Judy” Lord in Concord, New Hampshire. The investigation has now conclusively identified Ernest Theodore Gable as the person responsible for Ms. Lord’s murder, and the case will be formally closed and classified as solved.
“It is my hope that this long-awaited conclusion will finally bring peace and closure to Judy Lord’s family and the entire Concord community after nearly five decades of delayed justice,” said Formella. “This resolution proves that no cold case is ever truly closed until the truth is found. The original Concord Police Department investigators showed extraordinary diligence, only to be thwarted by flawed forensic technology of the era. We commend the Cold Case Unit, the Concord Police Department, and all of our partners for their commitment to resolving this case and correcting a historic injustice.”
During the afternoon hours of May 20, 1975, 22-year-old Judith Lord was found murdered in her apartment at the Concord Gardens Apartments. An apartment manager entered her unit to collect overdue rent and discovered her deceased in the upstairs bedroom. Lord’s 20-month-old son was found unharmed in an adjacent room. An autopsy later confirmed that she died as a result of homicidal strangulation. The crime scene showed evidence of a violent struggle and sexual assault. Investigators recovered key forensic evidence, including hairs found on and near her body and towels later determined to contain seminal fluid.
Although a suspect was identified early in the investigation, the case was severely hindered by a flawed forensic report issued by the FBI in 1975. At the time, microscopic hair analysis techniques led to an incorrect conclusion that the suspect could not have contributed the hairs found at the scene. That error contradicted other significant evidence, including the suspect’s fingerprints on the exterior of Ms. Lord’s window and witness accounts indicating that she feared him. The erroneous exclusion caused the case to stall for decades.
Decades later, with the benefit of modern forensic science, new DNA testing conducted on biological material collected from the scene correctly identified Ernest Theodore Gable as the source. A comprehensive re-examination of the case file by the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit and the Concord Police Department confirmed his responsibility for the murder of Lord.
Based on all available evidence, the Attorney General has concluded that if Gable were alive today, the Cold Case Unit would pursue alternative charges of First Degree Murder, both for knowingly causing Lord’s death during the commission of aggravated felonious sexual assault, and for purposely causing her death by strangulation.
Ernest Theodore Gable was 24 years old at the time of Lord’s homicide. He died in Los Angeles, California, on Feb. 1, 1987, at the age of 36, from a stab wound.
Because Gable is deceased, no arrest or prosecution will occur. However, based on the overwhelming evidence gathered, the case will be closed and officially marked as solved.
Republished courtesy of New Hampshire DOJ