By JACK TOLEDO Published: 01:44 BST, 8 October 2025 | Updated: 01:53 BST, 8 October 2025
A 77-year-old career criminal arrested only two weeks ago for a decades-old cold case has been found dead in his cell. George Legere was arrested on September 19 over the brutal stabbing of 21-year-old Janet Couture who was found dead in her East Hartford home in October 1973. The suspected killer was found unresponsive in his prison cell on October 3. He later died at a local hospital. Connecticut State Police described his passing as an untimely death and the medical examiner's officer is yet to rule on the cause. Legere had been a suspect early in the investigation, however there was not enough evidence to link him to the crime, according to NBC Boston. The case went unsolved until he was arrested in 2019 and his DNA was taken, which matched a sample in a national database.He was arrested at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution, where he was already serving a 25-year sentence for kidnapping a woman in 1984. George Legere, 77, was arrested for murder and died two weeks later in prison Janet Couture was stabbed to death in her home in East Hartford in October 1973 Legere kidnapped the woman from her apartment complex parking lot, blindfolded her, tied her, beat her, and raped her.The woman was found alive in a vehicle with the horn sounding off. However, he was not charged with sexual assault due to the statute of limitations.Legere had confessed to stabbing Couture, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. 'I went into the apartment looking for money and unfortunately the person woke up and recognized me and that left me no choice to do what I did. I ended up stabbing her,' Legere said, according to police. Police said Legere's confession included details that only the murderer would know, such as the color of the knife handle and the exact location Couture fell. He also detailed that the knife was Janet's from her own kitchen and was used to stab her in the chest. He added that she was bound and then beaten with a wire coat hanger in her bedroom. Connecticut State Police determined the incident as an untimely death and said they are investigating Officials said that Legere had a criminal history of more than 30 criminal cases Police investigated the death of the young woman for over five decadesThe interview with the police took place after Legere had talked to a fellow prisoner about the murder.Couture was a part-time model and secretary at a factory in Windsor, according to the CT Insider.Shirlene Couture, the victim's sister, said she visited Janet's house the day before she was killed. While she was there, Legere came to her sister's screen door.She says she told her: 'He comes in to use my phone all the time. I'm afraid of this guy. He keeps asking me out.' Officials said that Legere had a criminal history of more than 30 criminal cases, including convictions for sexual assault, kidnapping, negligent homicide, and others, according to the outlet.
