Convicted Kidnapper Found Dead in Prison Cell Weeks After Arrest for 1973 Cold Case Murder

Man Dies in Prison Weeks After Being Charged in 1973 Cold Case Murder of Connecticut Woman

A man recently charged in a 1973 cold case murder in Connecticut has died behind bars just two weeks after his arrest.

According to a statement from the Connecticut Department of Corrections, George Legere was found unresponsive in his cell at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield, Connecticut, around 11 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 3. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after midnight on Saturday, Oct. 4.

Officials said his cause of death “is not known at this time” and remains under investigation by both the Connecticut Department of Corrections and the Connecticut State Police. The Associated Press reported that Legere was 77 years old.

Legere had already been serving a 25-year prison sentence for a kidnapping conviction when authorities issued a warrant for his arrest on Sept. 19 in connection with the October 1973 murder of Janet Couture in East Hartford, Connecticut, according to statements from the Connecticut Department of Criminal Justice and the East Hartford Police Department. He was formally charged with murder on Sept. 24 while still incarcerated.

Authorities said Couture was home alone when Legere broke into her house through a window and fatally stabbed her. Her case remained unsolved for decades until a breakthrough in 2021, when the Avon Police Department arrested Legere for a separate kidnapping case from 1984.

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

In the 1984 case, authorities said a woman was forced back into her car at her apartment building, blindfolded with tape, and driven to an unknown location. There, Legere allegedly tied her to a tree, beat her, and raped her before fleeing. The victim managed to draw attention by honking the car horn, and police found her still bound and naked when they arrived.

DNA evidence from the 1984 assault later matched samples from another case for which Legere had been imprisoned in Massachusetts, and his description matched that given by the victim.

Legere was convicted of first-degree kidnapping in May 2023 and sentenced the following month.

Regarding the murder charge tied to Couture’s death, East Hartford Police Chief Mack S. Hawkins described it as “a significant step toward justice” for her family, who had waited more than five decades for closure.

“We are committed to pursuing justice in every case, no matter how much time has passed,” Hawkins said. “For the Couture family, this is especially significant, and we hope it brings them some measure of peace.”