Following a 50-year investigation, the tragic murder of young mother Judith ‘Judy’ Lord, who was found dead in her Concord, New Hampshire apartment in May 1975, has been officially solved. The New Hampshire attorney general’s report now marks this case as closed, identifying 36-year-old Ernest Theodore Gable as the perpetrator. This resolution is attributed to advances in DNA technology, which contradicted the FBI’s initial forensic conclusions.
Judith, a 22-year-old mother, was found deceased in her apartment on May 20, 1975, according to the report. The cause of death was determined to be ‘homicidal strangulation’. The report states that Gable, who was murdered in 1987, was initially exonerated by the FBI’s Forensic Laboratory. Their microscopic hair comparison analysis concluded the hairs from the crime scene were ‘microscopically different’ from Gable’s, leading to the conclusion that he was not the perpetrator.
However, as part of a cold case review, the semen-stained towels were subjected to modern DNA analysis by the New Hampshire State Police Forensic Laboratory. This process confirmed that the DNA obtained from the semen and sperm on both towels was a statistical match to Gable, with a frequency of approximately 1 in 6.5 million in the African American population. The report emphasizes that the initial investigations were professionally conducted but hindered by the limitations and flaws of forensic science at the time, particularly the unreliable nature of microscopic hair comparison.
Moreover, the report underscores that advancements in forensic technology have enabled the resolution of long-standing cold cases. This case is particularly notable as it highlights both the progress made in forensic science and the challenges faced by investigators using outdated methods. The closure of this case also brings to light the tragic circumstances and the long-standing impact on the family of the victim.