Man, 75 sentenced to 25 years in prison for 1984 CT kidnapping solved with DNA
A 75-year-old Massachusetts man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for a 1984 kidnapping in Avon during which he forced the victim back into her car, drove her to an unknown location and “tied her to a tree, beat and raped her,” according to state authorities.
George Legere, age 75, of Springfield, was found guilty in May of first-degree kidnapping by a jury in Hartford Superior Court following a brief deliberation.
State authorities, citing evidence introduced in the trial said that, early on the morning April 13, 1984, the victim was getting out of her car in the parking lot of her apartment building in Avon when Legere forced her back into the car then blindfolded her with tape and tied her arms.
After the assault at the location he drove her to, the woman was forced back into her car and was driven back to her Avon apartment building, where the assailant fled, leaving the woman inside the car still bound and naked.
The victim was able to sound the horn on her car to get help. She was brought to an area hospital where a sexual assault kit was conducted.
Avon detectives followed up on numerous leads over the years before receiving word that Legere’s DNA matched that of the suspect. He was served with an arrest warrant in May 2021 and has been in custody since.
He had not been implicated in the 1984 kidnapping and sexual assault until his DNA was collected while incarcerated on an unrelated matter in Massachusetts in May 2019. DNA from the abduction in Avon had been collected and entered into a national database before it was tied to Legere when he was released from prison in the Massachusetts case.
“Special thank you needs to be given to the Avon Police Department for the work they did and in keeping this case on their radar,” Hartford State’s Attorney Sharmese L. Walcott said in a statement. “It is unfortunate that the victim had to relive this horrific nightmare while testifying before a jury, but we sincerely appreciate her willingness to come forward and see the process through.”
Avon police said they were not able to pursue sexual assault charges against Legere because the statute of limitations had expired. There is no statute of limitations for kidnapping in Connecticut.
According to Avon police, Legere’s prior criminal history includes arrests and convictions in 31 separate cases, including those of sexual assault and kidnapping.
“The Avon Police Department would like to acknowledge the diligent work done by the officers and detectives who followed up on numerous leads and suspects in 1984,” police said in a statement at the time of Legere’s arrest. “Their hard work resulted in the solving of this case 37 years later.”
Police also credited present-day detectives, and added “the victim in this case, who despite having to constantly relive this trauma, was fully supportive of our efforts to bring this case to conclusion.”
The case was reviewed in detail by retired Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Donna Mambrino, with assistance from Executive Assistant State’s Attorney Kathryn W. Bare, officials said.
Reporting by Justin Muszynski is included in this story.