Still Unsolved: Judy Lord Was Killed At Concord Gardens 50 Years Ago

CONCORD, NH ? For 50 years, the death of a Concord Heights woman has remained unsolved.

Judy C. Lord, 22, of Concord Gardens, was killed inside her apartment sometime during the early morning hours of May 20, 1975. Around 12:30 p.m., she was found naked, strangled and suffocated with a plastic garment, in a bedroom on the second floor of the apartment, Building 19, Apartment 4, she lived in with Gregory Lord Jr., her 17-month-old son, and off-and-on again, with her estranged husband, Gregory S. Lord Sr., 19. Judy was discovered dead after an employee of the complex, Joseph McVey, visited her to collect the weekly rent. McVey said no one answered the door when he knocked, but he could hear her child crying inside. He checked the apartment with an extra key and found her dead. There was ?physical evidence? at the scene, Robert V. Johnson II, an assistant attorney general, said, which ?indicated how she died and who may have caused the death.? However, he added, he did not expect an arrest immediately.

There was no sign of forced entry. Investigators spent two days at the apartment, searching for clues and collecting evidence. Reports stated the apartment yielded signs of a struggle ? including a blood-stained pillow. Initially, it was unknown if she had been sexually assaulted, with investigators stating further tests would be performed. The bedroom was described as ?sparsely furnished? because her husband had removed most of the furniture when he moved out.

Dozens of neighbors and witnesses were interviewed. They said Judy was last seen at around 10:30 p.m. the night before, playing volleyball at the complex. She had a soda with a neighbor and then went home. Neighbors reported hearing someone scream, ?Let me alone,? during the early morning hours near or at her apartment. But no one reported it or anything else to the police. The scream was estimated to have occurred around 1:30 a.m. An autopsy revealed she had died around 2 a.m.

?In a normal neighborhood,? one resident told the Concord Monitor, ?you?d be concerned if you heard a scream like that. But up here, it?s nothing.?

Neighbors said she was paranoid and concerned about burglars, often requesting help from them before entering her empty apartment at night to ensure it was safe.

Detectives questioned Gregory Sr. at police headquarters not long after her body was discovered, but he refused to speak with reporters on the advice of counsel.

Friends and neighbors said while she loved her husband, he was immature, and the couple had discussed divorcing. They had only been living at the complex for a short time, about two months, having moved to Concord from West Germany, where Gregory Sr. was stationed while serving in the U.S. Army, having enlisted at 17. Their son was born when they were overseas.

Gregory Sr. moved in and out of the apartment before her death, one report stated. Another report said he moved entirely out about two weeks prior. He worked at New Hampshire Hospital while she worked as an aide at McKerley?s Nursing Home. Some neighbors suggested she was considering quitting her job to collect benefits because she could not find a babysitter as a single parent.

Two days after the killing, Gregory Sr. was seen leaving the apartment with more of his belongings.

Judy, whose maiden name was Arnold, was born and raised in Maine and was part of a large family ? nine sisters and four brothers. She lived in Suncook and attended classes at Pembroke Academy for a year in 1971. She enjoyed playing guitar and singing, and was said to have had an angelic voice. She would often compose songs, on the fly, as she sat on the stoop of her apartment, neighbors said, while her son played in the yard. She and her husband were married in March 1973, just a few weeks after her mother?s death at her grandmother?s apartment at Concord Gardens, not far from where they would later live. After the marriage, Gregory Sr. was deployed to Germany. A wedding announcement noted she would live with her father in Weare until she could join him overseas. Judy is buried in New East Weare Cemetery.

Gregory Sr. died in March 2019, according to an online obituary, after a battle with cancer, in hospice at the veterans? hospital in Bedford, Massachusetts. He was living with his partner in Wakefield, MA, at the time of his death. He had married for a second time and had two daughters.

?One of his greatest passions was bodybuilding and fitness, and continued his workouts through his final days and looked forward to watching wrestling Monday nights,? the obituary stated. ?His favorite times were those outdoors, on ATVs, fishing, and spending time with his girls. He will be remembered for his quick wit, his warm and caring hugs, and most of all his kind and loving heart.?

There is no mention of Judy or Gregory Jr. in his obituary.

The only public record found in state and county databases was a civil violation for operating an ATV on private property without permission in Hooksett in July 2016, issued by the New Hampshire Fish & Game Department. He was found guilty and fined $74.40. He was living in Bedford, MA, at the time.

A week after her body was discovered, no arrest had been made in the case.

?I guess you might say we don?t have a prime suspect,? then-Concord Police Chief Walter Carlson told the Monitor.

3 Suspects ? And Then 1

A month later, an unnamed police source told the Monitor three suspects, all of whom lived at the Gardens, refused to give samples of their hair and blood as part of the case.

A source reported all three suspects had lawyered up. One also refused a lie detector test. Johnson, however, declined to comment.

The story also revealed the Lords had separated ?after a domestic dispute in early May.? Shortly before being killed, she left her position as an aide at the nursing home.

About seven months after the killing, police obtained a warrant to take blood and hair samples from a suspect. An unnamed investigator said an arrest was imminent, but it never occurred. Later, it was reported investigators took hair and blood samples from ?several suspects.?

At some early point in the investigation, one of the suspects began cooperating with police, offering body samples and taking a lie detector test. That suspect was later cleared.

Investigators were down to one suspect based on testing done by the FBI criminal lab.

Court Involvement

In November 1975, the New Hampshire Supreme Court met in closed session to hear from attorneys representing a ?chief suspect in the case? as well as Johnson concerning access to hair and ?body fluids.?

The case was based on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling (Schmerber v. California, 1966) stating investigators had to prove probable cause before a court to grant a search warrant for body samples. Investigators said they had probable cause ? hair, blood, and semen found at the scene matched the ?general physical characteristics? of the suspect, identified as ?John Doe.? The attorneys countered even if they matched, others fit the killer?s profile.

In early December 1973, the state supreme court ruled police could retain samples from the single suspect.

After the ?secret decision,? the suspect was taken to New Hampshire Hospital, and samples were taken from him. They were then sent to the state police and FBI labs. Police also reported an arrest was ?imminent.?

One of the suspect?s lawyers, Vincent Nardi, was considering an appeal. The records were also impounded.

In April 1976, after a teenager was found shot in the back and killed near the tracks behind a state liquor store in Concord, it was reported that no indictments had been returned in the Judy Lord case.

By September 1985, New Hampshire had 38 official unsolved murders, including Judy?s case, the Associated Press reported.

In August 1989, it was reported Judy had been wearing a ?plastic-type garment? which the killer used to pull over her head to suffocate her with.

The autopsy, too, it was stated, revealed she had been raped. There was ?strong evidence? an ?acquaintance? raped and killed her, due to opportunity to commit the crime. Fingerprints, according to a report, were found on the outside of the window the suspect used to access the apartment.

?It would have been a lot nicer if (the fingerprints) had been on the inside,? Bruce Russell, a director of investigations for Concord police, said.

Decades Later, More Info

Three decades after her death, in 2005, more information was revealed about the case.

Then-Concord Det. Todd Flanagan, who now works for the New Hampshire Attorney General?s Office, said there were four or five suspects but would only confirm the name of one: Earnest Stanberry, a Black man who was Judy?s neighbor.

Judy accused Stanberry of being in her apartment 10 days before at around 2 a.m. and telling her he wanted to see her nude, according to a court report. She also reportedly gave co-workers the impression she was afraid of Stanberry.

Stanberry had hair similar to the fibers found on bedsheets during the two days investigators were in the apartment. According to the investigators, his fingerprints matched those found on her window, with the prints found ?in a way police believe suggests he was sliding the window open.? Stanberry?s blood and hair samples were also taken.

Stanberry later moved to California, where he was killed in a stabbing in 1987, the report stated.

At the time, police still believed they could solve the case even though he was dead.

?We can still work on forensic evidence and determine if we can close this case out or not,? Flanagan said.

There was also speculation Stanberry may have used or his name may have been an alias, according to a member of the Lord?s family.

Patch attempted to find and speak to the living relatives of Judy Lord, Gregory Lord Sr., and Earnest Stanberry as well as locate Gregory Lord Jr., but was unsuccessful or they chose not to offer comment or return requests for comment.

New Hampshire?s Cold Case Unit, according to Michael Garrity, the communications director for the attorney general?s office, has used advancements in forensic science since the time of the death to solve her murder. It remains, however, open and unsolved, without new information or leads.

?Investigators spent over two days processing the scene and have conducted numerous interviews over the years,? he said. ?In the decades since, the Cold Case Unit has continued to pursue the case, using advances in forensic science and following new leads. Despite these efforts, no arrests have been made, and the case remains open.?

Garrity said investigators asked the public to come forward with any information, ?no matter how minor it may seem.? He said anyone with details connected to the 14 hours between 10:30 p.m. on May 19, 1975, and 12:30 p.m. on May 20, 1975, including sightings of Judy or any unusual activity in the area, would be helpful.

?Cold cases like this often depend on members of the community sharing what they know,? he said.

Anyone with information about the murder of Judy Lord is urged to contact the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit at 800-525-5555 or by email at coldcaseunit@dos.nh.gov.

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