East Hartford Cold Case Closed, Police Charge Elderly Inmate With 'Heinous' 1973 Killing: EHPD

EAST HARTFORD, CT — One of the most "heinous" murders in Connecticut history may have been solved, more than five decades after the death shocked both East Hartford and the state, police announced Thursday.

The East Hartford Police Department announced the closure of a cold case homicide investigation with the arrest of 77-year-old George Legere of Massachusetts for the murder of 21-year-old Janet Couture in October 1973.

According to online court records, he was charged with one count of murder, a Class A felony. His bond for the charge is $1 million, though Legere is incarcerated in the state for another crime.

Legere is expected in Manchester Superior Court on Oct. 8.

According to the state's Division of Criminal Justice, this was the oldest cold case in the state before the arrest was announced.

On Sept. 19, 2025, an arrest warrant was issued charging Legere with murder for the killing of Couture, who was found stabbed to death in her Cannon Road home in East Hartford on Oct. 13, 1973.

Couture was home alone when Legere entered her residence through a window, committing "This heinous crime that shocked the community and remained under investigation for over five decades," wrote the EHPD.

East Hartford detectives dedicated themselves to re-examining evidence and following leads over the last 53 years, according to the EHPD.

Police said a breakthrough came in 2021, when the Avon Police Department arrested Legere for kidnapping a woman in a separate 1984 cold case.

While Legere had also been an early suspect in Couture’s murder, insufficient evidence at that time prevented charges, police said.

The Avon Police Department’s arrest of Legere assisted East Hartford investigators with uncovering additional closed cases dating back to the 1960s involving Legere assaulting women, revealing disturbing similarities to Couture’s murder, the EHPD said.

On Sept. 24, East Hartford detectives arrested Legere at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield, where he is currently serving a 25-year sentence stemming from his 2021 arrest by Avon police.

"This arrest is a significant step toward justice for Janet Couture and her family, who have waited 53 years for closure," wrote the EHPD in a statement.

It was the desire to bring closure to the family that drove local police to continue working on the case, even after decades had passed.

“Bringing closure to victims’ families is a top priority for our team of detectives,” said East Hartford Police Chief Mack S. Hawkins. “We are committed to pursuing justice in every case, no matter how much time has passed. For the Couture family, this is especially significant, and we hope it brings them some measure of peace.”

The East Hartford Police Department thanked the Connecticut Department of Corrections and the State of Connecticut Cold Case Unit for their assistance.

Anyone with information regarding this case can contact EHPD Det. Christina Johnston at 860-291-7526, the EHPD confidential tip line at 860-289-9134, or the Connecticut Cold Case Unit at 1-866-623-8058.

For information on other Connecticut 'Cold Cases,' click on this link.

From May 28, 2021: 'MA Man Charged In 1984 Avon Kidnapping Case: Police'