Massachusetts Man Gets 25 Years In 1984 Violent Avon Kidnapping Case

AVON, CT — A Massachusetts man has been given a hefty sentence in a nearly four-decade-old violent kidnapping case out of Avon.

Hartford Stats Attorney Sharmese L. Walcott said Thursday that that on July 21, Judge Carl J. Schuman sentenced 75-year-old George Legere, of Springfield, MA, to 25 years in prison.

A Superior Court jury in Hartford on May 16 found Legere guilty of first-degree kidnapping.

According to evidence introduced at the trial, in the early morning hours of April 13, 1984, the victim in the case arrived in the parking lot of her apartment building in Avon. While attempting to exit her car, she was forced back inside her car by a man who blindfolded her with tape and tied her arms, according to case records.

The man drove her in her vehicle to an unknown location where he tied her to a tree, beat her and sexually assaulted her, according to case records.

After several assaults, the man left the woman in the car and fled the scene, case records show.

The woman managed to blow the vehicle's horn to alert people nearby and when police arrived, they found her still bound by the wrists and naked.

She was brought to a local hospital where, a rape kit exam was completed, according to case records.

In May 2019, while the man was incarcerated in an unrelated matter in Massachusetts, a DNA sample was taken as part of the arrest protocol, according to case records. That DNA sample matched another sample in the Combined DNA Index System, linking Legere to the DNA that was collected in the 1984 Avon case, Walcott said.

Additionally, Legere’s physical description matched the description of the perpetrator that the victim in the 1984 Avon attack gave to police, Walcott said.

The woman testified and local police were persistent, Walcott said.

"A special thank you needs to be given to the Avon Police Department for the work they did and in keeping this case on their radar," Walcott said. "It is unfortunate that the victim had to relive this horrific nightmare while testifying before a jury, but we sincerely appreciate her willingness to come forward and see the process through."