South Carolina Man Found Guilty Of Child Rape Connected To 1997 Case In Concord

CONCORD, NH — A man from South Carolina, who previously resided in Concord, was sentenced to prison for at least eight years after raping a child in the 1990s.

Raymond Cournoyer, 61, of Ferguson Lane in Hilton Head Island, SC, was sentenced to eight to 16 years in prison on a single felony count of aggravated felonious sexual assault on Wednesday. Cournoyer was found guilty on a single count on May 10 after a nearly three-year court case against him.

Back in September 2020, Cournoyer was indicted on three counts — aggravated felonious sexual assault, attempted aggravated felonious sexual assault, and felonious sexual assault charges connected to incidents in 1997 against a 7- or 8-year-old girl, at the time, who is now in her early 30s. The case was a “direct to indictment” case, meaning Concord police did not arrest him. Cournoyer was accused of having the girl fondle and attempt to fondle him and sexually assaulting her.

After being arraigned and a series of hearings, a jury was convened in late 2022. Evidence included photos of a house, a lease agreement with a company that owns several apartments in the South End, a letter from the landlord, childcare attendance verification of the victim at the Concord YMCA, and photos of the victim when she was a girl. According to court documents, a video of “Elmo in Grouchland” was also part of the case.

On Nov. 30, 2022, the jury returned with not guilty verdicts on the attempted aggravated felonious sexual assault and felonious sexual assault counts. The jury was deadlocked on the third count. The defendant moved for a mistrial, which was granted in early March.

Three days later, the Merrimack County Attorney’s Office amended the charges to aggravated felonious sexual assault and felonious sexual assault counts. The jury returned with a guilty verdict on the single aggravated felonious sexual assault charge after a one day trial.

In the defendant’s sentencing memorandum, Cournoyer’s attorney said while he was born in Derry, he spent most of his life in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and was poor, although he had a normal childhood. He did not finish high school but attended vocational school and had been working in both Key Largo, Florida, and Hilton Head, SC, for the last four decades. Cournoyer also had a history of alcohol abuse dating back to when he was a teenager and had been arrested three times for driving while intoxicated in the 1980s. Most of his criminal offenses were driving issues, the report said. There were also 10 letters supporting him or requesting leniency, including one from his long-time civil union partner.

Cournoyer’s attorney requested a five-to-10-year sentence, while the county attorney’s office requested 10 to 30 years. Judge John Kissinger put it somewhere in the middle of the two requests.

After he is released from prison, Cournoyer must also register as a sex offender.

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