CRBC News
Culture
Society
Security
Health
Conflict
Science
Technology
Politics
Environment
Lifestyle
Economy

50-Year Cold Case Closed: Modern DNA Links Ernest Gable to 1975 Strangling of Judy Lord

The New Hampshire attorney general's office has declared the 1975 Concord murder of 22-year-old Judith "Judy" Lord solved after modern DNA testing linked Ernest Theodore Gable to semen-stained towels from the scene. Gable had been excluded by a 1975 FBI microscopic hair comparison, but contemporary DNA analysis and additional evidence — including fingerprint analysis and witness testimony — now identify him as the perpetrator. Gable was killed in 1987 and cannot be prosecuted; authorities have formally closed the case.

11:44 PM, 11/26/2025Society
50-Year Cold Case Closed: Modern DNA Links Ernest Gable to 1975 Strangling of Judy Lord

A state attorney general's report declares the 1975 murder of 22-year-old Judith "Judy" Lord in Concord, New Hampshire, officially solved after modern forensic testing linked Ernest Theodore Gable to the crime.

Lord was found dead in her apartment on May 20, 1975. An autopsy determined the cause of death to be homicidal strangulation.

At the time, investigators submitted hair evidence to the FBI Forensic Laboratory. In a report dated December 16, 1975, the FBI concluded that hairs recovered from the scene were "microscopically different" from Gable's and therefore did not originate from him. That conclusion hindered efforts to prosecute him in the 1970s.

During a recent cold-case review, forensic evidence was re-examined using modern DNA techniques. Semen-stained towels collected from the scene were tested at the New Hampshire State Police Forensic Laboratory. The lab determined that the DNA from semen and sperm on both towels was a statistical match to Ernest Theodore Gable. The report states the approximate frequency of the partial DNA profile was 1 in 6.5 million in the African American population, strengthening the link to Gable.

"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 says. It also notes that the original investigation was professionally handled but was limited by the forensic methods available at the time, particularly microscopic hair comparison.

Ernest Theodore Gable was himself murdered in 1987 at age 36 and is therefore deceased. Because of the new forensic findings and corroborating witness accounts and fingerprint analysis, authorities have formally closed the file and labeled the case "solved." The report underscores how advances in DNA technology can correct earlier limitations and bring resolution to long-standing cases.

Note on evidence and interpretation: The DNA match reported is based on a partial profile and a statistical frequency calculated for a specific population group. While the report describes this as highly probative in combination with other evidence, forensic conclusions are strongest when multiple lines of evidence converge, as noted by investigators.

Similar Articles

Trending