NH NH - Laura Kempton, 23, & Tammy Little, 20, Portsmouth, Sept 1981 & Oct 1982

It appears that these two murders may have been committed by the same person(s). I'd like to know what you think:

"Tammy Little October 1982
On Tuesday, October 19, 1982, Tammy Little was found murdered in her apartment located at 315 Maplewood Ave. in Portsmouth NH. The autopsy conducted by the New Hampshire Medical Examiner determined Tammy Little died as a result of massive head injuries. The 20-year-old female lived at 315 Maplewood Ave. and was a student at the Portsmouth Beauty School. "

http://www.cityofportsmouth.com/police/investigations-unsolved-little.htm

"Laura Kempton September 1981
On Monday, September 28, 1981 at 9:30am, the body of Laura Kempton, 23 years old, was found murdered in her apartment located at 20 Chapel Street in Portsmouth NH. The autopsy conducted by the NH Medical Examiner reported Ms. Kempton died of massive head trauma, consistent with being struck by a blunt object, causing contusions and lacerations of the brain. Ms. Kempton was a student at the Portsmouth Beauty School and was employed at Marco Polo, Inc. and Karen’s Ice Cream Parlor."

http://www.cityofportsmouth.com/police/investigations-unsolved-kempton.htm

According to MapQuest, these two women lived about three minutes away from each other.

Both attended Portsmouth Beauty School.

Both had massive head injuries.

This makes me think that the killer lived close by or had some affliation with the Beauty School.

Perhaps he was a handyman or some kind of worker who carried a tool kit. LE metion any possible weapons? Was there any DNA found and preserved from either crime scene ?

Usher737 said:

This makes me think that the killer lived close by or had some affliation with the Beauty School.

Perhaps he was a handyman or some kind of worker who carried a tool kit. LE metion any possible weapons? Was there any DNA found and preserved from either crime scene ?

Click to expand...

All I know so far is what I have posted from the Portsmouth Police Department website. I plan to do a search of newspaper archives and gather more information as to weapons, etc.

I agree with you that the killer may have had some affiliation with the beauty school. It's the common factor in both murders.

Please post anything that you find!

Hmm I noticed one was killed Sep 29th and one on Oct19th Canadian Thanksgiving was listed as Oct 10th of this year(2005) so maybe someone near where they lived had a canadian relative home on an extended visit both years?
Note:There were 2 Jewish Holidays listed then also but I have never heard of family coming for a special visit during those days. (But I don't know much about those holidays either.) I just didn't want Canadians to feel singled out. If the calendar had listed jamaican thanksgiving (or any other country holiday) during that time I also would have mentioned it too but it wasnt listed on my cheapy calendar.

I also wonder if someone got 30 days leave from the military at the same time 2 years in a row? Its just that the timing seems odd in that I don't yet see any other similar crimes being mentioned during other times of the year there but yet we have these two at almost the same time of year.

On what date did classes start that year for the beauty school? When were school pics taken for that school?

I wonder:
Who does (did at the time) the repairs on the houses there. The houses seem quite large.

Who would offer to share rides with them on the way to school and that they might recognize and accept rides from.
Was there a freelance photog looking for "models" nearby?

And did the killings really stop or just move elsewhere?
Sigh- lots more questions than answers.

My wife once attended a beauty school many years ago (but not that college) and she mentioned that at that time of year some beauty schools had a year book guy come around and take pics of the students fixing hair.

Just a thought.

docwho3 said:

My wife once attended a beauty school many years ago (but not that college) and she mentioned that at that time of year some beauty schools had a year book guy come around and take pics of the students fixing hair.

Just a thought.

Click to expand...

That's something I hadn't thought about. And your previous post brought up some good points. Since both of these murders occurred in the fall, I thought perhaps a college student might be involved. I also thought about a handyman who worked at both properties.

Another thought - perhaps the killer lived in the apartment house where the first girl was killed, then later moved to into the apartment house where the second girl was killed.

I think I'll do a little more research and see if I can find any other murders that occurred around this time. Also, I know that rapists can sometimes escalate and begin killing their victims. So I'll also look for any reports of rapes in that area. The information I had when I started this thread makes no mention of either of these two women being raped, but I'll try to find newspaper articles covering both murders.

I ran across this list when I googled "Laura Kempton":

"And this is a list of all the unsolved murders in Vermont and New Hampshire in the last 35 years:

1. Joanne Dunham, Charlestown NH, October 1968

2. Jane Doe, Bedford NH, October 6, 1971

3. Daniel O'Connell, Loudon NH, October 30, 1971

4. Kathy Gloddy, Franklin NH, November 22, 1971

5. Paul Olsen, Madison NH, March 24, 1973

6. James Teta, Rindge NH, August 25, 1973

7. Anne Psardelis/Diane Compagna, Raymond NH, September 29, 1973

8. Domingo Valdes, Pelham NH, June 14, 1974

9. Maurice and Ellen Wilkinson, Center Ossipee, August, 16, 1974

10. David Longfellow, Manchester NH, November 24, 1974

11. James O'Brien, New Boston NH, April 12, 1975

12. Judy Lord, Concord NH, May 20, 1975

13. Madlyn Crouse, Nashua NH, February 27, 1976

14. James Sullivan, Gilmanton NH, February 21, 1977

15. Casmiro Jablonski, Newmarket NH, July 6, 1977

16. Joan Gray Rogers, Hardwick VT, July 15, 1977

17. Shari Lynn Roth, Livermore NH, August 21, 1977

18. Jaclynne Snyder, Lee NH, September 4, 1977

19. Pauline Miller/ Ray Blanchette, Manchester NH, October 24, 1978

20. Cathy Millican, New London NH, October 24, 1978

21. Kenneth Jache, Weare NH, October 14, 1979

22. Mary Elizabeth Critchley, Unity NH, August 9, 1981

23. Yvonne Fine, Concord NH, September 7, 1981

24. Laura Kempton, Portsmouth NH, September 28, 1981

25. Mary Harrison, Winchester NH, October 30, 1981

26. Sylvia Gray, Plainfield NH, May 28, 1982

27. Pamela Brown, Barre VT, July 17, 1982

28. Tammy Little, Portsmouth NH, October 16, 1982

29. Bearnice Courtemanche, Kellyville NH, May 30, 1984

30. Ellen Fried, Kellyville NH, July 20, 1984

31. Eva Morse, Unity NH, July 10, 1985

32. Lynda Moore, Saxtons River VT, April 15, 1986

33. Sarah Hunter, Pawlet VT, July 1986

34. Heidi Martin, Hartland VT, May 1, 1984

35. Steven Hill, Hartland VT/Plainfield NH, (In CT River)July 1986

36. Barbara Agnew, Hartland VT, January 10, 1987

37. Lynn Snyder, Rollinsford NH, April 18, 1987

38. Judith Whitney, Winchester NH, November 8, 1987

39. Patricia Scoville, Stowe VT, 1988 (An arrest was made)

40. Sharon Johnson, Bedford NH, July 28, 1988

41. Pamela Webb, Franconia NH, July 18, 1989

42. Craig Lane, Peterborough NH, January 8, 1989

43. Carrie Moss, New Boston NH, April 24, 1991

44. Stella Bolton, Portsmouth NH, February 16, 1991

45. Rita Roy, Manchester NH, May 20, 1991

46. Theresa Reed, Plymouth NH, September 6, 1991

47. Lisa Begin Wright, Laconia NH, December 18, 1991

48. Cheryl Peters, Morrisville VT, August 9, 1993

49. Angela Ann Blouin, Derby VT, May 30, 1993

50. Mindy West, Manchester NH, October 4, 1998

51. Mary Morales, Vernon VT, March 3, 1999

52. Louise Chaput, Pinkham Notch NH, November 15, 2001

53. Amie Lynn Riley, Manchester NH, August 15, 2003

54. Christina Lunceford, Nashua NH, August 1, 2004"

I have no way of knowing if this is an accurate list or not, but I was struck by how many of these murders occurred in the fall.

Below is a map that goes along with the list, and shows where the crimes occurred. I tried to enlarge it, but couldn't do it.

Here is an article about the murders of Tammy Little and Laura Kempton.

http://www.seacoastonline.com/2002news/10182002/news/29979.htm

Marilynilpa said:

That's something I hadn't thought about. And your previous post brought up some good points. Since both of these murders occurred in the fall, I thought perhaps a college student might be involved. I also thought about a handyman who worked at both properties.

Another thought - perhaps the killer lived in the apartment house where the first girl was killed, then later moved to into the apartment house where the second girl was killed.

I think I'll do a little more research and see if I can find any other murders that occurred around this time. Also, I know that rapists can sometimes escalate and begin killing their victims. So I'll also look for any reports of rapes in that area. The information I had when I started this thread makes no mention of either of these two women being raped, but I'll try to find newspaper articles covering both murders.

Click to expand...

I found this among other links:
"An interesting event happened to day. First some background...
back in '81, when Sue (my first wife) and I were married, we lived at 20 Chapel St in Portsmouth. It was a 6 apartment building, 1 block from the Portsmouth Police at the time. (They've long since moved to the old hospital site). We didn't know until about 2 months or so after we took the place, that a murder took place there. And, not only that, we were the first people to rent it. The victim was 22 or 23 year old. Her name was Laura Kempton. This murder has been unsolved for the past 24 years. So, according to the 2 detectives who came to me, they were following up on every male name associated with Laura Kempton. I suppose since I lived in her apartment, my name somehow became linked to her. At any rate, vollunteered a DNA sample so they can clear one more name off their list. I never knew Laura, but if you did, and have info, call the Portsmouth PD...they would appreciate it, I'm sure. "
http://www.stevenml.net/blogger/2005/01/help-solve-unsolved-murder.html
***********************************

NH murders links:
http://whokilledtheresa.blogspot.com/2005/05/rattled-baby-over-you.html

*************************
"A Florida man received a life sentence Wednesday after
pleading guilty to killing a pregnant woman 12 years ago.
The sentence came the day after John E. Brewer pleaded guilty in
Jacksonville, Fla., to murdering Dina Kichler, 21, in 1990. He was
sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
In New Hampshire, Brewer, 40, admitted he murdered Michele Lafond, 23,
at her Dublin home on March 4, 1987. Prosecutors say he also raped
Lafond, who was 4 months pregnant. Her husband, Garry, found her body.
According to court records, Portsmouth police detectives Jim Tucker and
Michael Ronchi were attending a conference in Florida on unsolved murders
when they noticed similarities between a murder in Florida in which
Brewer was a suspect and two unsolved killings they were investigating in
Portsmouth.
Laura Kempton, 23, and Tammy Little, 20, two beauty school students, both
died from blows to the head. Kempton was murdered in her apartment on Sept.
28, 1981; Little in her apartment on Oct. 19, 1982.
Further investigation showed even more similarities between the Florida and
Lafond killings. Both women had been strangled, both were home alone and
Brewer had worked with both husbands.
Donovan said Brewer is not a suspect in Portsmouth killings at this
time. But he said authorities plan to talk to Brewer about the cases."
http://venus.soci.niu.edu/~archives/ABOLISH/july99/0005.html
*********************
"An interesting event happened to day. First some background...
back in '81, when Sue (my first wife) and I were married, we lived at 20 Chapel St in Portsmouth. It was a 6 apartment building, 1 block from the Portsmouth Police at the time. (They've long since moved to the old hospital site). We didn't know until about 2 months or so after we took the place, that a murder took place there. And, not only that, we were the first people to rent it. The victim was 22 or 23 year old. Her name was Laura Kempton. This murder has been unsolved for the past 24 years. So, according to the 2 detectives who came to me, they were following up on every male name associated with Laura Kempton. I suppose since I lived in her apartment, my name somehow became linked to her. At any rate, vollunteered a DNA sample so they can clear one more name off their list. I never knew Laura, but if you did, and have info, call the Portsmouth PD...they would appreciate it, I'm sure. "
http://www.stevenml.net/blogger/2005/01/help-solve-unsolved-murder.html
***********************************

I also ran a simple web search for the phrase copied from the articles about the girls deaths "died of massive head trauma"

The name SHERMAN NOBLE popped up. Can anyone connect him to N.H. in 1981 or 1982? His known victems were men but his motives were not sexual as far as I was able to read. Maybe he changed from '81 to how he was in '87.
***********************************
NOBLE, SHERMAN, DOB 11/14/1952, was sentenced to death on February 8, 2005. His felony offenses are Murder - Life with Parole for 25 years; Burglary I, 3 Counts, 20 years each count concurrent with each other; Murder, 2 Counts, Death for each; Robbery I, 2 Counts, 20 years each count concurrent with each other and with the Burglary charges. He also has a pending Murder charge in Jefferson County.
On March 11, 1987 Noble gained entrance into the home of his first victim, 40-year-old Walker Wendell Ison. Using a ball peen hammer, he struck the victim in the head, forcing him to the ground, then proceeded to strike the victim repeatedly about the face and head area. The victim died of massive head trauma. Marijuana was taken from the victim's residence.
On March 13, 1987, Noble gained entrance into the home of his second victim, Charles F. Tompkins, age 70. He struck the victim once in the head with a ball peen hammer, forcing him to the ground. Noble continued to strike Tompkins in the face and head area, causing death by massive blunt force trauma. After the murder, and over the course of several days, Noble stole numerous items that belonged to the victim.
On March 16, 1987, Noble entered the residence of his third victim, 87-year-old Lorenzo F. Harris. He struck the victim in the head with a ball peen hammer, forcing him to the ground. He then stabbed the victim approximately 18 times in the throat and neck, resulting in the victim's death. He stole several personal items from the victim's residence.
Between August 1987 and August 1997 the defendant was found incompetent to stand trial. In August 1997, the court ruled Noble competent to stand trial. The case was continued numerous times, primarily due to motions and appeals filed by the defendant.
http://www.corrections.ky.gov/inmateinfo/deathrow.htm
*******************************
Police say Noble used bricks to beat to death Thompson and two other men, Lorenzo Harris and Walker Ison, over the course of several days in March 1987. Police say Noble knew the men and had visited them at their homes before he killed them. (pic was unavailable but victems listed are the same names.)
http://groups.msn.com/PRISONLONGHOUSE/shermannoblesventure.msnw

docwho3 said:

I also ran a simple web search for the phrase copied from the articles about the girls deaths "died of massive head trauma"

The name SHERMAN NOBLE popped up. Can anyone connect him to N.H. in 1981 or 1982? His known victems were men but his motives were not sexual as far as I was able to read. Maybe he changed from '81 to how he was in '87.
***********************************
NOBLE, SHERMAN, DOB 11/14/1952, was sentenced to death on February 8, 2005. His felony offenses are Murder - Life with Parole for 25 years; Burglary I, 3 Counts, 20 years each count concurrent with each other; Murder, 2 Counts, Death for each; Robbery I, 2 Counts, 20 years each count concurrent with each other and with the Burglary charges. He also has a pending Murder charge in Jefferson County.
On March 11, 1987 Noble gained entrance into the home of his first victim, 40-year-old Walker Wendell Ison. Using a ball peen hammer, he struck the victim in the head, forcing him to the ground, then proceeded to strike the victim repeatedly about the face and head area. The victim died of massive head trauma. Marijuana was taken from the victim's residence.
On March 13, 1987, Noble gained entrance into the home of his second victim, Charles F. Tompkins, age 70. He struck the victim once in the head with a ball peen hammer, forcing him to the ground. Noble continued to strike Tompkins in the face and head area, causing death by massive blunt force trauma. After the murder, and over the course of several days, Noble stole numerous items that belonged to the victim.
On March 16, 1987, Noble entered the residence of his third victim, 87-year-old Lorenzo F. Harris. He struck the victim in the head with a ball peen hammer, forcing him to the ground. He then stabbed the victim approximately 18 times in the throat and neck, resulting in the victim's death. He stole several personal items from the victim's residence.
Between August 1987 and August 1997 the defendant was found incompetent to stand trial. In August 1997, the court ruled Noble competent to stand trial. The case was continued numerous times, primarily due to motions and appeals filed by the defendant.
http://www.corrections.ky.gov/inmateinfo/deathrow.htm
*******************************
Police say Noble used bricks to beat to death Thompson and two other men, Lorenzo Harris and Walker Ison, over the course of several days in March 1987. Police say Noble knew the men and had visited them at their homes before he killed them. (pic was unavailable but victems listed are the same names.)
http://groups.msn.com/PRISONLONGHOUSE/shermannoblesventure.msnw

Click to expand...

This post and your previous post certainly are interesting. I was away from my computer all weekend, so I didn't have a chance to do any more digging about these two murders. I'll do a NewspaperArchive search for Sherman Noble and John Brewer and see if I can find out more about them. I also ran across the name Ed Pehowic, who pled guilty to at least one murder in NH. I don't know the details about that, but will post whatever I find.

When the Portsmouth police chief retired, he said the only thing he regretted was not solving these two murders. From what I can tell, it appears the police gave 100% to trying to solve the crimes, and the cases are still considered active.

Marilynilpa said:

I ran across this list when I googled "Laura Kempton":

"And this is a list of all the unsolved murders in Vermont and New Hampshire in the last 35 years:

1. Joanne Dunham, Charlestown NH, October 1968

2. Jane Doe, Bedford NH, October 6, 1971 ...

54. Christina Lunceford, Nashua NH, August 1, 2004"

Click to expand...

Interesting to note that up to 1977 the number of murdered males and females is very evenly divided - that is there are the same numbers of each. But starting in 1977, the vast majority of unsolved murders involve women as victims.

Richard said:

Interesting to note that up to 1977 the number of murdered males and females is very evenly divided - that is there are the same numbers of each. But starting in 1977, the vast majority of unsolved murders involve women as victims.

Click to expand...

I noticed that as well.

I haven't had an opportunity to look into any of the victims on that list. It will be interesting to see how many of them were killed in a similar fashion to Tammy Little and Laura Kempton.

I ran across this list of missing people:

1. Rachel Garden, missing from Newton NH, southeast of Manchester, March 22, 1980.

2. Russell Bovit, missing from Last Resort Farm in Walden VT , May 11, 1986

3. Sonja Moore, missing from Stark Pond area of Dunbarton NH, November 2, 1989

4. Cheree Hawkens, last seen at Burlington Airport, Burlington VT, January 18, 1990

5. Heidi Dawn Wilbur, last seen at a convenience store in Middletown Springs VT, February 9, 1991

6. Audrey Groat, last seen at the Park and Ride in Northfield VT, August 21, 1993

7. Bethany and Tina Sinclair, missing from West Chesterfield NH, February 4, 2001

8. Hang Thi Phuong Nguyen, missing from Manchester NH, March 16, 2001

9. Lorne Richard Boulet Jr., last seen on Perry Brook Road in Chichester NH, July 29, 2001

10. Karen Shirley Dube, missing from Ware NH, Sept.1, 2001

11. Courtney King, missing from Pelham NH, January 9, 2004

12. Timothy James Young, last seen on Daniels Pond Road in West Glover, VT, January 20, 2004

13. Maura Murray, last seen on Rt 112 in Haverhill NH, February 9, 2004

14. Brianna Maitland, last seen at Black Lantern Inn, Montgomery VT, March 19, 2004

15. Dominika Smolinski, missing from Westford VT, August 27, 2004

16. Jessica Ann Capille, missing from Bethlehem NH, December 8, 2004


There has been a lot of coverage of the Murray and Maitland cases, both of them have threads on this message board.

Here is a link that contains both lists, as well as maps showing where the disappearances/murders occurred:
http://community-2.webtv.net/SilkyBoxerz/MissingPersons/

This is part of an article about unsolved crimes in Portsmouth, NH:



Laura Kempton

People who knew Laura Kempton, 23, said she was outgoing, friendly and full of life.

On Monday, Sept. 28, 1981 at 9:30 a.m., a police officer went to talk with Kempton about her numerous parking tickets she incurred since she moved to the city about one year before her death. When he arrived at her first-story apartment at 20 Chapel St., he discovered her bloodied body underneath blankets in the living room.

The Portsmouth Beauty School student was last seen having coffee late Sunday night at a coffee shop on State Street, according to back issues of the Portsmouth Herald.

Kempton had died as a result of "massive head trauma consistent with being struck by a blunt object, causing contusions and lacerations of the brain," according to the state medical examiner’s report.

While working through beauty school, Kempton worked at Macro Polo, Inc. and Karen’s Ice Cream Parlor.

Again, DuBois said there are a few suspects in the case. He declined to release specific details surrounding Kempton’s death, including what the murder weapon was or if it was found. He is currently analyzing DNA evidence found at the scene.

Tammy Little

Tammy Elizabeth Little, 20, graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1981 and was also a student at the Portsmouth Beauty School.

On Tuesday, Oct. 19, 1982, she was found dead in her apartment where she lived alone at 315 Maplewood Ave.

Her death has similarities to Kempton’s murder, police said. However, investigators are not ruling out the possibility the two homicides may not be linked.

Little was also bludgeoned to death and died of massive head injuries, including a fractured skull, according to her autopsy results.

DuBois said she was last seen in the early morning hours of Oct. 17, 1982.

Not only were both Kempton and Little attending the same school (in different classes), they were both in their early 20s, they lived within walking distance to each other and the downtown area, and they visited the same bar establishments.

It was never determined if they knew each other, but they did have mutual acquaintances. DuBois also said he has a number of suspects in this case.

Link to article: http://www.seacoastonline.com/2003news/01192003/news/8424.htm

I find it interesting that the two women had mutual acquaintances, although I suppose since they both attended the same school, that isn't too unusual.

Since both of them lived within walking distance of each other, they probably frequented some of the same places, such as coffee shop where Laura was last seen the night before her body was discovered.

Tammy was last seen in the early morning hours of Oct. 17, and her body was found on Oct. 19. "Early morning hours" makes me think she was last seen in a bar or a late night coffee shop or restaurant.

In both of these cases, the women could have been followed home.

I cannot find anything to suggest these two women were sexually assaulted, or if there was evidence of recent sexual activity.

These two women were brutally beaten, and the perp must have had blood all over him. Yet no one recalls seeing anything out of the ordinary. Could the killer have brought a change of clothes with him? Or perhaps he wasn't wearing clothes at the time of the attacks, took a shower after the fact, got dressed and walked out of the apartment without causing any suspicion.

Of course, there's no proof that these two murders are connected, but it certainly would surprise me if they were not.

I ran across this in an article and found it interesting:

Still, there are cases that dog police. Four cases with unsolved homicides remain on the books, according to Portsmouth Police Capt. John Yerardi. They are the death of Laura Kempton, 23, whose body was discovered in her apartment at 20 Chapel St. on Sept. 28, 1981; Tammy Little, 20, whose body was found in her apartment at 315 Maplewood Ave. on Oct. 19, 1982; the arson-related deaths of Terry Giles, Joseph Poulin and Linda Plummer, who died as a result of a fire at 314 Islington St. on Oct. 11, 1986; and the arson-related deaths of James Moore and Stella Bolton, whose bodies were found in their home at 74 Rockhill Ave. Authorities later determined the couple had been stabbed to death prior to a fire in their home on Feb. 16, 1991.

link: http://www.seacoastonline.com/2004news/01252004/news/72354.htm

I wonder how common arson-related deaths are?

Marilynilpa said:

I think I'll do a little more research and see if I can find any other murders that occurred around this time. Also, I know that rapists can sometimes escalate and begin killing their victims. So I'll also look for any reports of rapes in that area. The information I had when I started this thread makes no mention of either of these two women being raped, but I'll try to find newspaper articles covering both murders.

Click to expand...

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) -- Police are investigating a report of a woman being raped in the restroom of a restaurant.

The woman told police she was sexually assaulted early Thursday morning at Bickford's Family Restaurant. She said she didn't know her alleged attacker and described him as a white male, between 40 and 45 years old and weighing about 165 pounds.

The man had a scruffy beard and brown hair. Police say the suspect fled before police arrived.

http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BOS9442/

Whoever killed these 2 could have been a male client at the school who was maybe obsessed with the 2. Maybe if the school kept and kind of client log or record they could look to see if the 2 had any male clients in common. Hair stylist tend to be friendly and outgoing for the most part and sometimes their personality can come across as flirting when they are just being personable and trying to keep your business. Male clients can ofter take a stylist friendliness the wrong way.