A man indicted last month in the 1973 murder of a Connecticut woman has died while serving time for kidnapping and sexual assault in another cold case.
George Legere, 77, was found unresponsive in his cell Friday evening at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield. He was pronounced dead early Saturday at a local hospital, the Department of Correction said Tuesday.
The chief medical examiner’s office said the cause of death was “pending investigation.”
Legere, who had a long criminal history, was arrested on September 24 while serving a 25 years sentence in another cold case for kidnapping and sexual assault. Police charged him with murder after he confessed to fatally stabbing Janet Couture, 21, in her East Hartford apartment while trying to steal drug money, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
Police said she was home alone when Legere climbed through a window and attacked her.
East Hartford Police Department
“I went into the apartment looking for money and unfortunately the person woke up and recognized me and that left me no choice to do what I did,” Legere said, according to police. “I ended up stabbing her.”
Investigators said Legere’s confession followed information from another inmate, who told police that Legere admitted to killing Couture and wrote and signed a confession in July, asking the inmate not to release him until he died.
Legere’s arrest also helps East Hartford police connect him to additional cases dating to the 1960s that shared similarities with Couture’s murder, police said.
“Providing closure to the victims’ families is a top priority for our team of detectives,” East Hartford Police Chief Mack S. Hawkins said in a statement. “We are committed to pursuing justice in all cases, no matter how much time has passed. For the Couture family, this is especially important, and we hope it brings them some peace.”
The Connecticut Department of Correction and Connecticut State Police are investigating Legere’s death.