Cold Case Unit Could Become Permanent

More than 120 unsolved murders in New Hampshire stretch back over four decades. Now, a bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to make the state’s temporary investigative Cold Case Unit a permanent entity.

This sketch of Craig Lane's suspected killer is 22 years old, but new information recently obtained by the Cold Case Unit could help discover his identity. (sketch courtesy N.H. Dept. of Justice)

The unit has been up and running since fall 2009, when House Bill 690 was enacted. Paid for with federal stimulus funding, the bill created a Cold Case Unit with a prosecutor and three detectives whose work has raised the public profile of a number of cases. A recent story in the Greenfield Daily Reporter, for example, indicates that some people have recently brought forward new information about the 1989 stabbing death of then-17-year-old Craig Lane. Authorities are hopeful that these revelations will trigger more until the evidence they need—and Craig Lane’s killer—is found.

It would be a breakthrough. On December 1, the unit released its first annual report, saying it “has made tremendous progress towards the resolution of these important cases.” So far, though, no cases have been solved, and the investigations could run out of time. The 2009 law that created the Cold Case Unit also gave it a sunset provision to expire July 1, 2013.

But the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee will hold a public hearing tomorrow on House Bill 138, sponsored by Rep. David Welch (R-Kingston). His bill would make the Cold Case Unit permanent, funded by a variety of federal, state and other sources. It is estimated to cost approximately $354,00 in Fiscal Year 2014 and $365,000 in Fiscal Year 2015.

The committee will also hold a public hearing on House Bill 145, which would allow “the audio and video recording of any public official while in the course of his or her official duties” by anyone. This would expand a state law that allows a wide range of audio and video monitoring connected to schools and other public matters.

>> The Cold Case Unit website, www.doj.nh.gov/coldcaseunit, offers resources for families of victims, a list of victims and a map of where each victim was last seen alive. Anyone who may have information about these unsolved crimes is encouraged to call (603) 271-2663 or email coldcaseunit@dos.nh.gov.

>> The House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee meets in the Legislative Office Building, Room 204, on Tuesday, January 25, for the following public hearings:

9:00 a.m. Subcommittee work session on HB 122, establishing a commission to study the effectiveness of the sex offender registry.

10:00 a.m. HB 138-FN, relative to the cold case homicide unit.

10:30 a.m. HB 145, permitting the audio and video recording of any public official while in the course of his or her official duties.

11:00 a.m. HB 177, relative to the probation and parole status of offenders in motor vehicle records. Executive session may follow.

This Daily Dispatch was written by Michael McCord.

Posted by Hilary Niles on Jan 24 2011. Filed under Justice, unsolved crimes, Weekly Briefing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry