Overview

• East Hartford police obtained a Sept. 19 warrant and arrested Legere on Sept. 25 at the prison where he is serving a 25-year sentence from a 1984 Avon kidnapping conviction.
• An arrest-warrant affidavit says he admitted stabbing Janet Couture during a break-in to steal money for drugs, following an inmate’s signed confession and tip prompted by prison posters.
• Legere was an early suspect in 1973; detectives reexamined the case in 2009 and, after his 2021 Avon arrest, identified closed cases with disturbing similarities dating to the 1960s.
• DNA taken from Legere in 2019 matched evidence in the Avon case entered into CODIS, leading to his 2023 conviction and renewed scrutiny of older files.
• A judge set bail at $1 million, the case was continued to Oct. 8 in Manchester Superior Court, and investigators are still seeking tips from the public.