MANCHESTER, NH – Two months ago a small team of investigators quietly returned to Ray Street, intent on finding a missing piece to the puzzle that is the murder of Denise Robert. On Monday, they were back again, this time, looking for a bullet.
Associate Attorney General Jane Young said she’s put together a “fresh” team of investigators, with the goal of looking at every bit of evidence and information with new eyes.
“We’ve had two attorney general’s office investigators and one Manchester Police detective working on this case exclusively since late February,” said Associate Attorney General Jane Young late Monday night. “After looking at all the evidence gathered to date – the police reports, the Crimeline tips – based on all of that, the determination was made to go back to that location today in an effort to recover a bullet.”
Young would not confirm whether a bullet was found during the daylong search, which included creating a grid of the area and conducting a methodical search using a Manchester police dog, metal detectors and investigators on hands and knees with sifters.
“They are very seasoned, and have been working long hours these last few months,” Young said.
The two investigators from the Attorney General’s office include Todd Flanagan and Steve Johnson, who was a lead investigator on the James “Whitey” Bulger case, and Manchester Detective Justin Breton.
The investigative team has been working on this case exclusively, trying to unravel the mystery of who killed Denise Robert on Aug. 30, 2015, while out for her Sunday evening stroll in the city’s North End. Police believe Robert parked her car at the nearly Brookside Congregational Church parking lot around 8:30 p.m. Neighbors reported hearing what sounded like fireworks just before 9 p.m., around the same time Robert was found, shot dead, on Ray Street.
“The bullet was the objective today. I won’t comment on what was recovered at the scene. But based on their review and follow-up steps it was warranted to go back to that location, and so that’s what you saw today,” Young said of the search.
Family spokesman Tom Robert is one of Denise Robert’s 11 siblings. He worked a long day Monday and said he’d been hearing bits and pieces about the events of the day.
“Basically we’ve covered a lot of this ground before. This is the third time they’ve gone back and looked for whatever they’ve looked for. I had a brief discussion today with an assistant Attorney General, and I was told they were looking for a bullet. I don’t know how many bullets there were, or what they have or haven’t found,” said Robert.
Because investigators are closely protecting what information they do have, that means the family does not even know the details of Denise Robert’s autopsy, how many bullets struck her, or exactly where. They don’t know if investigators were searching for a stray bullet today, or the bullet that killed her.
“They’re guarding the information they have and they really have to – and for the most part, we understand why they have to do it. Some of us are having a harder time than others in accepting it, but they have to make sure they don’t corrupt the case, or scare the person who did this, so that they’ll flee,” Robert said. “I personally understand and accept it. I just assume they’ll tell me what I need to know and, hopefully, in the end it will all be worthwhile.”
In the 616 days since his sister was gunned down, Robert says it’s hard to keep hope from waning.
“Time is passing and we don’t seem to be getting much of anywhere. The fact that they were out there today is heartening. I guess we fear the case will go cold and that they’re not going to be able to solve it,” Robert said.
“They’re going over areas they’ve gone over before. It strikes me that certainly they don’t have all the pieces of the puzzle they need to successfully prosecute somebody, and so they’re looking for more pieces,” Robert said. “In times like this I don’t mind speaking about it because it allows me the opportunity to get the message out to anyone reading or listening, that if you know something – anything, even a rumor or a conversation – to please call investigators, no matter how insignificant you think it may be,” Robert said.
The AG’s office has established a phone number – 603-271-4956 – and urge anyone who may have information to call. A reward of $44,950 has been established and will be given to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of Denise Robert’s killer.
“It’s only because of the dedication and support of former Attorney General Joe Foster and current Attorney General Gordon MacDonald, and Manchester Police Chief Willard that we have all the resources dedicated to this case – other work assignments have been reassigned and assumed by other investigators to free this team up so they can put the time into it,” Young said. “I do think there’s somebody out there with a conscience – or who wants the reward money,”
