Law enforcement officials identified the man they believe was responsible for the 1981 murder of a New Hampshire beauty school student in 1981, officials announced Thursday.
Ronney James Lee, who died in 2005, has been identified as the killer of 23-year-old Laura Kempton after forensic genealogy linked his DNA with that found at the crime scene over 40 years ago, NBC Boston reported. Though there is no indication that Lee knew Kempton, he resided in the same city as the victim at the time of the murder, the outlet stated. (RELATED: Police Use Cigarette Butt, DNA Testing To Solve 52-Year-Old Murder Case)
Kempton’s body was found in her apartment on Sept. 28, 1981, after officers, attempting to serve a summons for unpaid parking tickets, found her door broken. Kempton died as a result of massive head trauma and there were signs that she had been sexually assaulted, according to the outlet.
A four-decade-old murder has been solved with the help of genetic genealogy technology, according to officials in New Hampshire. https://t.co/XglTIl9PIs
— ABC News (@ABC) July 20, 2023
New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella stated that if Lee were still alive, he would be facing charges of first-degree murder, NBC Boston reported.
Formella did not indicate whether Lee was tied to the death of another beauty school student, 20-year-old Tammy Little, which occurred in 1982, but told the outlet the investigation into her death was ongoing, promising to continue seeking justice for victims of cold cases. “We’re never going to stop looking for you, we’re never going to stop coming for you,” he stated.
In response to the news that Kempton’s killer had been identified, the victim’s family released a statement expressing their gratitude to the Portsmouth Police Department for their “diligence and determination” in solving the murder. “Their extraordinary efforts have led to this important moment today,” their statement read, according to NBC Boston.