• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About the writer and her website
  • References
  • Archives
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Contact Page

Defrosting Cold Cases

Research website by Alice de Sturler

  • Cold Case Research Methods
  • How to search for cases
  • Summer Spotlight: Teresa “Tess” Sue Hilt
  • Book Reviews
  • Cold Case Database
    • Index
      • Cases Index A-G
      • Cases Index H-N
      • Cases Index O-Z
    • Summaries
      • Case Summaries A-G
      • Case Summaries H-N
      • Case Summaries O-Z
You are here: Home / Forensics / Connecticut Appellate Court to review 1987 Bernice Martin murder

Connecticut Appellate Court to review 1987 Bernice Martin murder

May 18, 2012 By Alice

“The Appellate Court is scheduled to hear arguments Friday [today] in the appeal of 66-year-old Richard Lapointe, who was convicted of murdering Bernice Martin and sentenced to life in prison. Lapointe insists that DNA evidence shows he’s innocent and that his former lawyers were ineffective.”

On March 8, 1987, fire fighters were called to the Mayfair Gardens Elderly Housing Complex, Manchester, Connecticut. They found Mrs. Bernice Martin, 88 years old, barely breathing, and badly beaten. She died later that evening in the hospital.

Convicted for her murder is her granddaughter’s former husband, Richard A. Lapointe. To others, Richard Lapointe is innocent and wrongfully convicted.

I am convinced this mentally retarded man with Dandy Walker Syndrome was set up by the police and deserves to be free.

A good point by Rick Green: “An essential question, never fully explored, is how the state believes that Lapointe, physically disabled and with a low IQ, could have committed the crime in such a short time frame. The killer disrobed the 88-year-old Bernice Martin, tied her wrists and neck, stabbed her more than 10 times, raped and strangled her and set fire to apartment. Just minutes after the crime Lapointe was watching television with his wife, showing no signs of a bloody struggle.”

I have written extensively about this case which I consider a miscarriage of justice. All my posts, case analysis, and trial reports are here.

From the clerk’s schedule:

AC 33452 RICHARD LAPOINTE v. COMMISSIONER OF CORRECTION Status: Assigned
Appeal Case Information
Date Filed: 05/10/2011 Disposition Method:
Appeal By: Petitioner Disposition Date:
Argued/Submitted Date: 05/18/2012   10:00 AM

UPDATE: “During a short presentation before a three-judge panel Friday, Lapointe lawyer Paul Casteleiro tried to show why the note about burn time should have been disclosed by the state back in 1992. 

“There has never been any dispute that the note was never disclosed,” Casteleiro told Judges Bethany J. Alvaro, Stuart D. Bear and Joseph H. Pellegrino. “If the fire burned a minimum of 30 minutes it is very clear Richard Lapointe could not have set the fire.”

“The burn time is a very critical issue … The jury could have concluded that in fact Richard Lapointe was home and is innocent of the crime,” Casteleiro said. “The jury should have been able to consider that evidence.”

The burn note refers to a note written by a police detective about the potential “burn time” of the fire set by the killer after the murder. The note suggests that the fire that consumed Bernice Martin’s apartment lasted only 30 minutes.

No word yet when the Connecticut Appellate Court will make a decision.

To be continued!

Thank you for sharing!

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Forensics, Lapointe, Unsolved Tagged With: Arson Detection, Autopsy, Bernice Martin, Connecticut, Faulty Evidence, Prosecutorial Misconduct, Rape kits, Richard A. Lapointe

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Case of the Month: Bernice Martin says:
    April 24, 2014 at 4:11 pm

    […] for this murder is Richard Lapointe. The Connecticut Supreme Court will hear the State’s appeal on September 17, 2013. Lapointe was granted a new trial last […]

Primary Sidebar

Dina Fort

Author Notes

On my website, I write about old, unsolved cases. Most are from the pre-DNA era and need renewed media attention. I only do research and leave active investigation of these cases to the professionals.

My posts are about homicides, missing and unidentified people, wrongful convictions, and forensics as related to these cases.

On book reviews: I only review select works of true crime, crime fiction, and historical fiction/mysteries. The stories have to fit my website's theme and research. It remains my prerogative to not review a book. Please check the FAQ page for more!

My database has hundreds of cases listed by the victim’s last name. You will find a brief description there as well. The database is free to the public.

All writing suggestions for cases that come in by email are added to my to-do list in the order in which they were received. Please be patient. My to-do list is very long but no case gets dropped and I will get back in touch.

If you have any questions about my website please check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, the about page, and the tabs in both menu bars. If you still cannot find the answer there, please contact me.

Thank you,

Alice de Sturler

Copyright

If you use my work, please add a link back. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. Thank you!

Protected by Copyscape

Categories

Top Posts & Pages

  • Remembering Teresa “Tess” Sue Hilt
  • Missing: Joanna Lopez
  • Missing: Quinn Renard Woodfolk
  • Cold Case Database
  • Case of the Month: the Sodder Children

Subscribe to DCC by email

Enter your email address to get new posts notifications in your inbox

Recent Posts

  • Remembering Teresa “Tess” Sue Hilt
  • Junk Science by M. Chris Fabricant
  • Mary Emma Bisenthal Hammond: DNA
  • Remembering Rhonda Susan King
  • Identified: El Dorado Jane Doe

William Thomas Zeigler

Category: ALL POSTS

On March 31, 2016, an evidentiary hearing was held to request touch DNA testing. On July 18, 2016, Judge Whitehead denied that request.

On November 23, 2016, an appeal was filed with the Florida Supreme Court. On April 21, 2017, the Florida Supreme Court denied the request for touch DNA analysis.

On May 8, 2017 a motion for a rehearing with the US Supreme Court was filed. It was denied November 13, 2017.

In the summer of 2019, the appeal for DNA testing to the Florida Conviction Integrity Unit was denied.

Richard Lapointe

Category: ALL POSTS

In March 2015, the Connecticut State Supreme Court ordered a new trial for Richard lapointe. On Oct 2, 2015, International Wrongful Conviction Day, Richard was set free. The judge ruled that he cannot be retried for the 1987 rape-murder of Mrs. Bernice Martin. Richard Lapointe died on Aug 4, 2020 of Covid19 complications.

In 1987, someone killed Bernice Martin. I hope that she will not become a forgotten file.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Copyright: Please add a link back if you use my work. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. If you need help with this, just contact me. Thank you, Alice de Sturler

Copyright © 2022 ·News Pro · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress