Bail set for N.H. man in Peabody rape cold case

A New Hampshire man was held on $100,000 bail Monday as he faces charges in a 1991 rape cold case out of Peabody.

Darrell Lavoie, 59, of Nashua, pleaded not guilty in September to charges of aggravated rape, rape, assault with a dangerous weapon, and breaking and entering, court records show. 

“The charges stem from an incident that occurred on November 12, 1991 in which the victim, who had just returned from her morning job, was allegedly blindfolded and raped at knifepoint by an unidentified male assailant who had been lying in wait for her inside her home,” the Essex County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release. 

Prosecutors initially secured an indictment in 2006 based on the suspect’s DNA profile, according to court records. In Massachusetts, the statute of limitations for rape cases is generally 15 years.

“The victim has been looking over her shoulder for 34 years” without knowing “who brutally raped her in her own home,” Assistant District Attorney Jessica Strasnick reportedly told the court Monday. 

According to the DA’s office, members of the Massachusetts State Police Unresolved Case Unit began reinvestigating the Peabody case and analyzing previously collected evidence, which allegedly pointed them to Lavoie.  

Judge Thomas Drechsler noted Lavoie, a military veteran, has cognitive deficits and ties to Canada, per a copy of his bail findings and order. The court document also alleged prosecutors have a “very strong DNA case” against Lavoie. 

Defense attorney Patrick Hakes asked for a $7,500 bail, while prosecutors requested $250,000. Dreschler ultimately settled on $100,000 cash bail and ordered Lavoie to remain in Massachusetts and to stay away from and have no contact with witnesses and the alleged victim. Hakes did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Lavoie is due back in court Jan. 9.

Abby Patkin

Staff Writer

Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.

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