Manchester Man Pleads Guilty To Murdering Girlfriend

MANCHESTER, NH — A Manchester man has pleaded guilty to murdering his girlfriend in July 2019 in the West Side of the city.

Damien Seace, 35, formerly of Manchester, entered the plea Wednesday on a first-degree murder charge after killing Jennifer Burpee, 45, in her public housing apartment July 23, 2019.

Police, according to a report, were sent to her apartment after she called police and was screaming that Seace was beating her. Dispatch reported hearing Burpee scream, "He is killing me," and then the line went dead. Minutes later, Burpee was found killed and Seace was barricaded in her bathroom. Seace, a former Marine, lunged at officers in an attempt to keep from getting arrested but they later brought him under control and took him into custody.

Seace had a long criminal history, including a significant number of charges, and once described himself as a Nazi. The couple shared a Facebook page but lived apart. At the time of his arrest, he had just been released on bail on a parole violation after a previous stint in prison. Seace was initially charged with second-degree murder but the charge was elevated later.

In October 2018, Seace was arrested on a second-degree assault, criminal threatening, and other charges after assaulting Burpee. According to court filings, Seace told Burpee he was going to murder and bury her as he was strangling her. In July 2017, he was arrested for punching Burpee in the head several times while they were on Riverwalk Way.

Seace later became a poster boy against bail reform that led to loosened and lowered guidelines. The case was also one of the reasons why the New Hampshire Attorney General took over day-to-day operations of the county attorney's office — a process that was dropped this week.

Manchester Police Chief Carlo Capano said Seace deserved to spend the rest of his life in prison.

"His brutal and horrific crime proves he has total disregard for human life," he said. "I am very pleased with the plea and sentencing, I want to thank the Attorney General's Office for their hard work, as well as our own detectives who worked long hours investigating this case. I can only hope that this resolution brings some closure to the family of Jennifer Burpee."

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