Merrimack County, NH – A 54-year-old homicide case in Concord has officially been solved after new DNA testing identified Ernest Theodore Gable as the person responsible for the 1971 murder of Judith “Judy” Lord, according to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office.
Authorities said the investigation was hindered for decades by outdated forensic techniques. A 1975 FBI report based on microscopic hair analysis mistakenly ruled out the suspect, contradicting fingerprint evidence and witness accounts that indicated Lord feared Gable.
Modern forensic testing of preserved biological material recently linked Gable to the crime scene, leading investigators from the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit and Concord Police Department to confirm his involvement.
Officials stated that if Gable were alive, he would face first-degree murder charges for Lord’s death, which occurred during an alleged sexual assault. Gable was 24 at the time of the killing and later died in Los Angeles in 1987 from a stab wound at age 36.
Because Gable is deceased, no charges will be filed, but the case will be formally closed and classified as solved — bringing long-awaited closure to one of Merrimack County’s oldest unsolved cases.
This article was produced by a journalist and may include AI-assisted input. All content is reviewed for accuracy and fairness.
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