Frederick Merrill’s Connection To Richard Lapointe

The initial suspect in the murder of Bernice Martin will be freed on parole next year. Frederick Merrill, the infamous escape artist and convicted rapist, has long been a mysterious figure in the long and troubling case of Richard Lapointe, convicted for the 1987 murder of Martin in Manchester. Lapointe remains in jail. Merrill, now 66, committed a rape in nearby South Windsor just days before Martin’s rape and murder. A witness testified that she saw a man who looked like Merrill was running from the apartment complex where Martin lived.

Merrill’s blood type did not match some DNA found at the crime scene. But Lapointe’s supporters have long argued that the state ought to to see if there is a match between other evidence — a pair of gloves and a public hair – and Merrill. Questions about Lapointe’s guilt won’t go away. Merrill’s connection to this infamous crime ought to be investigated further.