Nearly fifty years after a young mother was tragically murdered in Concord, New Hampshire, authorities have officially declared the case as “solved,” according to a report from the state’s attorney general.

The victim, 22-year-old Judith “Judy” Lord, was discovered deceased in her apartment on May 20, 1975, as detailed in the report. An autopsy revealed that the cause of her death was “homicidal strangulation.”

Accompanying the report from the New Hampshire Department of Justice were some of the last known photographs of Judith Lord, shedding light on the young woman’s life before it was abruptly ended.

The investigation identified the perpetrator as Ernest Theodore Gable, who met a violent end himself in 1987 at the age of 36.

The killer was identified as Ernest Theodore Gable, who himself was murdered in 1987 at 36 years old. 

“The convergence of irrefutable DNA evidence, fingerprint analysis, compelling witness testimony, and Mr. Gable’s own incriminating behavior and violent history establishes beyond any reasonable doubt that he was the perpetrator,” the report on the case explains. “The initial investigation was professionally conducted but ultimately thwarted by the limitations and flaws of forensic science at the time, specifically the unreliable nature of microscopic hair comparison. Modern DNA technology has rectified that failing and brought clarity to this decades-old tragedy.”

A photograph of Concord Gardens Apartment Complex, Building 19, Apartment 4 dated May 20, 1975, amid the investigation into Judith Lord’s killing. (New Hampshire Department of Justice)

The FBI Forensic Laboratory’s conclusion regarding hair hindered plans to pursue prosecution against Gable.

The report explains that, “In a report dated December 16, 1975, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (‘FBI’) Forensic Laboratory, using the technique of microscopic hair comparison, concluded that the hairs from the scene were ‘microscopically different’ from Ernest Gable’s and ‘did not originate from [Gable].’” 

Booking photos of Ernest “Ernie” Gable, also known as Ernie Stanberry, dated Dec. 6, 1979. (New Hampshire Department of Justice)

But DNA analysis conducted years later during the cold case review pointed to Gable.

“As part of a cold case review, the semen-stained towels were subjected to modern DNA analysis with the New Hampshire State Police Forensic Laboratory ultimately confirming that DNA from the semen and sperm on both towels was a statistical match to Ernest Gable. The approximate frequency of the partial DNA profile obtained from the evidence was 1 in 6.5 million in the African American population,” the report noted.