Local News

20 years later, Deanna Cremin’s murder hasn’t been solved, but law enforcement is ‘optimistic’

By Sara Morrison

May 12, 2015

2 minutes to read

The murder of Somerville teenager Deanna Cremin has been unsolved for 20 years now, but law enforcement officials remain optimistic that her killer will be brought to justice.

Cremin’s case was discussed at a Somerville Board of Aldermen meeting last week, as part of Alderman at Large Jack Connolly’s annual request that law enforcement officials provide updates on the case to the Board’s Committee on Public Health and Safety.

Cremin was found dead a few blocks from her Somerville home in March 1995. Her boyfriend, Tommy LeBlanc, told investigators he walked Cremin halfway home the night before she was found. Her body was found a few hundred feet from where LeBlanc said he left her. She had just turned 17.

Since then, public updates on the case have been few and far between. No one was ever named a suspect in the case. No arrests have been made.

A small contingent of Cremin’s friends and family attended the meeting and voiced their frustration about the investigation and the lack of information about what is being done to find Cremin’s killer. All they hear, over and over, is that the case is active and the investigation is ongoing.

“Someone needs to be accountable,’’ said Kimberli Lynch-Bowler. “There’s so much more that can be done.’’

Somerville police chief David Fallon said the department was pursuing every possible lead, though he acknowledged that because it remains an open case, few specific details can be discussed with the general public. He offered to meet privately with Cremin’s supporters.

Capt. James Donovan, the lead on the case for the Somerville police department, said “there is a renewed focus’’ on the case.

“That file is in my office,’’ Donovan said. “I see it every day. It is a top priority.’’

When asked if he thought the case was solvable, Donovan said he did.

Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan told Boston.com that she, too, is optimistic that the case will be solved, but couldn’t say how many man hours her office plans to devote to it in 2015. Investigations are always changing as new leads or tips come in or new forensic tests are discovered, she said.

Ryan did say that her office’s chief of homicide and a Massachusetts State Police trooper are assigned to Cremin’s case. The chief has regular meetings — about every week to 10 days — where open cases like Cremin’s are discussed, Ryan said. She said she speaks to Cremin’s mother “pretty regularly.’’

“I’m from Somerville,’’ Ryan said. “I have a teenage daughter. This is the kind of case that, for me, for everybody … Every unsolved case is bad, but it’s particularly terrible when it’s a child. We take these cases very seriously.’’

The reward for information that leads to the arrest of Cremin’s killer was recently increased to $70,000. Anyone with any information is asked to call (617) 544-7167.