This then unsolved murder case was profiled on the last "special" (number 7) before UM became a weekly series. An update has aired on Lifetime about the arrest of Raymond "Beaver" Tempest Jr. who is currently serving a life sentence for Laferte's murder. The update briefly mentioned allegations of a police coverup, but did not go into detail. This intrigued me so I did a Newsbank search and came up with these articles. It appears that Tempest's brother Gordon was a detective investigating the case and lied about evidence he found that exonerated Raymond. Kind of interesting...

==================================================
TODAY'S DIGEST

Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA)
July 23, 1991
Edition: THIRDLOCAL NEWS
Section: LOCAL NEWS
Page: A2
Record Number: 9107233740


Witness in 1982 murder is arrested


UXBRIDGE - Police arrested a Woonsocket man reported to have
been with accused murderer Raymond D. "Beaver" Tempest Jr. when his
alleged victim was killed, authorities said yesterday.


Daniel J. Shaw, 36, 128 Water St., Woonsocket, was arrested and
charged with disturbing the peace early Saturday morning at the Quaker
Motor Lodge on Route 146A. Officer Brian MacDonald was called to the
motor lodge by the owner, who complained someone was knocking on doors,
police reported.

Shaw was released on $300 bond.


Shaw testified before the Rhode Island grand jury last month
for the case charging Tempest with the beating death in 1982 of Doreen
C. Picard, according to Massachusetts and Rhode Island authorities. He
had been under police protective custody. Woonsocket police would not
comment yesterday whether he continued to be in their custody. The case
is awaiting a trial, police said.


Picard, 22, was found bludgeoned to death in the basement of
409 Providence St. Feb. 12, 1982. Police believe she was on her way to
do her laundry and came upon her killer and Susan Laferte. Laferte had
been beaten in the head with a 28-inch length of steel pipe, police
reported. She survived with partial paralysis.


Selectmen meet in executive session


NORTHBORO - Before going into executive session to discuss a
police matter, selectmen last night approved the replacement of several
telephone poles.


The projected removal and replacement of the telephone poles is
the result of ongoing Route 20 construction here which includes the
installation of three traffic lights on Route 20 at Church, South and
Bartlett streets.


Chairman of Selectmen Warren B. LaBaire said he could not
detail the issue to be discussed in executive session, other then to
say "it concerns a police officer we have to discuss."


2 teens fined in Shrewsbury brawl


WESTBORO - Two teens involved in a beer bash that turned into
a brawl last month in Shrewsbury were ordered yesterday to pay fines
and restitution.


Westboro District Court Judge William F. Scannell fined Jason
J. Masciarelli, 18, of 29 Front St., Marlboro, and Joseph M. Bianchi,
17, of 5 Wood St., Hudson, $200 each and ordered them to pay
restitution of $320 each.


Both youths were charged with being a disorderly person,
malicious destruction of property of $250 or less and disturbing the
peace.


The judge ruled that there were sufficient facts to fine the
youths and seek payment of restitution on the disorderly person and
malicious destruction charges. Those charges were continued and would
be dismissed if there are no further violations.


Scannell dismissed disturbing the peace charges.


Masciarelli and Bianchi were among 10 people charged in
connection with a weekend keg party that turned into a brawl at 37
Colonial Drive involving bats, clubs and other weapons, police said.
One suspect was arrested for allegedly firing a shotgun during the
melee.


Court cases of the remaining alleged participants are pending.


Warrant is issued in heroin case


NORTHBRIDGE - An arrest warrant has been issued for a woman
living in a B Street apartment in which 80 small bags of heroin with a
street value of about $4,000 were seized Thursday night.


Hilda Candelario, 31, of 33 B St. has been charged with
possession of heroin with intent to distribute and possession of
cocaine, a police spokesman said.


Members of the South County Drug Task force raided the
apartment at 33 B St. shortly before 8 Thursday night. There was noboby
in the apartment when the seizure took place, the spokesman said.




Copyright (c) 1991 Worcester Telegram & Gazette Corp.


==================================================
R.I OFFICER DENIES LINK, DEFENDS BROTHER

Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA)
June 9, 1991
Edition: ALLNEWS
Section: NEWS
Page: D19
Record Number: 9106098597


WOONSOCKET, R.I. (AP) - Detective Lt. Gordon D. Tempest said he
is confident his brother will be cleared of charges he bludgeoned a
woman to death in 1982. And the officer denied lying to a grand jury to
protect his brother.


Tempest was suspended from the Police Department Wednesday
after he and his brother, Raymond D. Tempest Jr., were charged in
connection with the death of Doreen C. Picard.

"There's no doubt in my mind that we'll both be found innocent,
absolutely," Gordon Tempest told The Providence Journal-Bulletin. "The
sad thing about this is that the murderer is still out there.


"I feel bad for the parents (of Picard) because they feel this
whole thing's been solved. It's not solved."


BOTH INDICTED


This week, a statewide grand jury indicted Raymond Tempest in
the murder of Picard, 22. Authorities have said she happened upon the
beating of her landlady, Susan M. Laferte, then 25, and was slain.


The grand jury also indicted Gordon Tempest, a 17-year police
veteran, on a charge of committing perjury in April. Prosecutors say he
falsely testified that he never interviewed a Woonsocket man, in 1983
or 1984, who disputed his brother's alibi.


Authorities say more indictments are expected.


Tempest did place his brother at the Woonsocket house where
Picard was killed and Laferte was beaten on Feb. 19, 1982. He said his
brother visited Laferte to see a litter of pit bull puppies but left
shortly before the attacks.


Tempest said a woman friend of Laferte whom he could not
identify saw Raymond Tempest leave and is a witness in the case.


EX-SHERIFF'S SONS


Gordon, 39, and Raymond, 38, are the sons of Raymond Tempest
Sr., the former high sheriff of Providence County and former head of
the Woonsocket detective division.


Gordon Tempest told the newspaper that his family had been
targeted by two police officials for political reasons. He declined to
identify the officials but said their names would emerge at the trial.


He also said he uncovered evidence pointing to the real killer
within the first two weeks of Picard's death, but the lead was never
seriously pursued by his superiors. He said he disclosed the suspect's
identity to the grand jury in recent months but was told by James W.
Ryan, chief of the attorney general's criminal division, that the
suspect had an alibi.


Tempest said that his brother - nicknamed "Beaver" after the
character in the television show "Leave It to Beaver" - was incapable
of beating Picard and Laferte in such a "vicious, vicious" manner.


"This wasn't your average murder," he said. "That's beyond
killing. That's overkill."




Copyright (c) 1991 Worcester Telegram & Gazette Corp.


==================================================
ARREST IS MADE IN 1982 R.I. SLAYING

Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA)
June 6, 1991
Edition: ALLNEWS
Section: NEWS
Page: A10
Record Number: 9106068210


PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A Woonsocket man was charged with
murder yesterday, almost a decade after Doreen Picard was bludgeoned to
death in the laundry room of her apartment building.


And his brother, a city police lieutenant, was charged with
obstructing the controversial investigation by lying to a grand jury.

Raymond D. Tempest Jr., 38, a Woonsocket beer truck driver,
pleaded not guilty on the murder charge before Superior Court Judge
Maureen McKenna Goldberg and was ordered held in the state prison until
a June 12 bail hearing. He faces life imprisonment if convicted.


His brother, detective Lt. Gordon Tempest, 39, pleaded not
guilty to one count of perjury and Superior Court Judge Americo
Campanella set bail at $20,000 with surety, or 10 percent. He was free
on bail last night. The charge carries a maximum 20-year prison term.


Picard, a 22-year-old former homecoming queen at nearby
Bellingham, Mass., High School, was bludgeoned to death with a 28-inch
pipe on Feb. 19, 1982, in the basement laundry room of the house where
she rented an apartment. She planned to move to a larger apartment the
next day.


Her landlord, Susan Laferte, then 25, also was attacked, though
she survived.


But Laferte's head injuries were so severe, she couldn't
remember anything. A fiberglass plate was inserted surgically in her
skull during a three-month hospitalization. She still occasionally
loses her balance, has a broken left eardrum and has only partial use
of her right hand.




Copyright (c) 1991 Worcester Telegram & Gazette Corp.

Yes I saw this case featured on a show on Discovery Times titled something like "Guilty or Innocent" and it convinced me that Raymond Tempest is not responsible for the murder and assault. One very compelling tidbit was that Raymond's wife and Susan Laferte were best friends. Surely Susan's young daughter would have recognized him if he were the one she let in yet she didn't seem to the know the man she let in who committed the assault. Furthermore Raymond was over at their house in the time after the assault and the daughter would have certainly seen him and remembered if he was the one who hurt her mom yet she never said a word. If I recall correctly there was another suspect whom the Laferte's knew (I can't remember the name) and the little girl did react very negatively to him when he was at their house after the attack as if she recognized him as the man who hurt her mother.

I too have serious doubts as to Beaver's guilt. On the Guilty or Innocent show, one of Beaver's friends said that he saw him (Beaver) commit the crime and later admitted it was a lie he was forced to make. Only thing nags at me is why it took 4 days for the murder weapon to be found in a place that was suppose to have been searched previously, it is thought Gordon returned to the scene and planted it there (to cover it up?).

Well the weapon could have always been there and it could be that the cops just missed it. IT could be that Gordon planted it however I am not sure of this. I do think that this investigation was botched whether Beaver did it or not. An innocent man might very well be serving a life sentence for a murder he knows nothing about. If he did do it, well then he is where he deserves to be but if he didnt, something very wrong with him being in prison. I do question how a jury could convict him of first degree murder off of such shaky evidence. Essentially without Beaver's friend saying what he said the prosecution didnt have a case. So it would be interesting if he was forced to lie to get Beaver convicted so that the public would shut up and forget about the case. Unfortunatly this kind of crap happens much too often in the American "justice" system.

All this time I never knew they arrested someone. Man, I hope they got the right one.:(

All this time I never knew they arrested someone. Man, I hope they got the right one.:(

Nope, instead of Raymond "Beaver" Tempest, I'm pretty sure it was a man named Donald Degasse that murdered Doreen and put Susan Laferte in a coma. I don't know what his motive was for it, but I read about the case in more detail on a website called caught.net (or something like that, it was awhile ago). I read that Degasse died within this past year or two (he was in his early 60's), so there won't ever really be true justice.

The police covered it up for him because Degasse had relatives and/or friends within the department.

Nope, instead of Raymond "Beaver" Tempest, I'm pretty sure it was a man named Donald Degasse that murdered Doreen and put Susan Laferte in a coma. I don't know what his motive was for it, but I read about the case in more detail on a website called caught.net (or something like that, it was awhile ago). I read that Degasse died within this past year or two (he was in his early 60's), so there won't ever really be true justice.

The police covered it up for him because Degasse had relatives and/or friends within the department.

Ah, man that sucks. :(

Was this the case where the husband was getting late night phone calls telling him to stop pursuing the matter?

Was this the case where the husband was getting late night phone calls telling him to stop pursuing the matter?
Yes, except that it was Doreen's father who got the phone calls. He mentioned that every time they pursued the matter, they got phone calls warning them to stop.

This is a case where it seems like the Woonsocket cops knew who did it very shortly after the beatings/murder (Donald Degasse) and decided to lie their a**es off to keep him free, for whatever reason. I know some of them must have been chummy with him, but they must have been VERY chummy to go to those lengths.

Allegedly, Susan's daughter Nicole accused Degasse by reportedly saying "that's the man who boomed Mama." But because she was only 2 when she saw the killer, police didn't consider her a credible witness and said her story kept changing. Looking back, I now wonder if they didn't pursue Nicole's accusations because of the cover-up.

Allegedly, Susan's daughter Nicole accused Degasse by reportedly saying "that's the man who boomed Mama." But because she was only 2 when she saw the killer, police didn't consider her a credible witness and said her story kept changing. Looking back, I now wonder if they didn't pursue Nicole's accusations because of the cover-up.


It probably was because of the cover-up. Some of the officers probably already knew that it was Degasse that did it within a couple of weeks of the attack (evidence at the crime scene, probably some other witnesses seeing him leave his work to go to the apartment that day, etc.), but also knew that no one would take seriously the words of a 3 year-old at the time.

This was the very first episode I ever watched. I was maybe 12 or so. It was at a sleep over. (My mom never let me watch things like it.)
It scared the crap out of me. A few years ago when you could watch it on YouTube I seen it again.
Just now I am looking it up again and reading up on It. I remember they had thought the friends her sister did not know could be the suspect.
Thank good her daughter wasn't with her.
OK so you can watch this segment on vimeo someone who goes by um classic.

Someone posted that investigators thought the murder weapon was a gun that they were searching for instead of a pipe

I believe that Raymond Tempest was responsible, and that Doreen Picard was killed because she came down to the cellar and witnessed his attack on Laferte. Tempest is currently appealing his conviction, based on his claims of false testimony and witness manipulation, but it's pretty obvious that he did make various incriminating statements, had assistance with an alibi and the his father and brother, both on the Woonsocket PD, tried to cover up for him. There's a lot of information in this document that wasn't on UM:

https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1935215/state-v-tempest/

*Tempest made statements to several people that he had committed the crime - he even showed someone the crime scene photos and bragged about the attack (see below).
*Susan Laferte was having an affair with Tempest at the time of the attack, and Tempest was worried that his wife, whom he was reconciled with, would find out.
*Tempest's former sister in law and her boyfriend provided him with a false alibi for the time of the murders
* Tempest was protected by his brother and his father, who were a lieutenant and second in command in the Woonsocket PD at the time. (His brother Gordon was later convicted of perjury for making false statements under oath about the investigation and was ordered to serve seven years in prison after being fired from the police department.)

Here are parts of the document (bolded by me)
On February 19, 1982, at approximately 3:30 p.m., Douglas Heath (Heath) returned to the triple-decker apartment house at 409 Providence Street in Woonsocket, whose second-floor apartment he shared with his wife and his fifteen-year-old stepdaughter, Lisa LaDue (LaDue), formerly Lisa Wells. Below them, in the first-floor apartment, lived Susan Laferte (Laferte) and her husband, Ernie, the owner of the building, along with their daughters Nicole, aged three, and Marie, aged fifteen months. The third-floor apartment was occupied by Doreen Picard (Picard) and her boyfriend, Raymond Beaulieu.

Upon entering the house through the back door, Heath noticed Nicole crying on the first-floor landing next to the doorway leading down to the cellar. Heath asked Nicole where her mother, Laferte, was. Nicole replied that her mother was downstairs, lying down.

After finding the door to Laferte's first-floor apartment locked, Heath proceeded down the stairs leading into the cellar. From his vantage point at the bottom of the stairway, Heath saw a body "basically sitting" between the washer and drier at the far end of the cellar. Because there was "so much blood," Heath could not recognize the body as that of Picard, who was subsequently pronounced dead at 4:30 p.m. of the same day. As he began his approach toward Picard's body, Heath looked to his left and noticed a second body, that of Laferte, lying unconscious and face down in a "puddle of blood." Fearing that the unrecognizable body was that of his stepdaughter, LaDue, Heath ran upstairs, calling out LaDue's name; LaDue answered, whereupon Heath told LaDue to go downstairs and get Nicole while he called the police.

LaDue had arrived home shortly before her stepfather, at approximately 3:20 p.m. She proceeded to check the mailbox located at the front porch of the tenement house. After gathering the mail, LaDue walked around the exterior of the house and noticed a "big maroon car" parked in the driveway adjacent to the bulkhead leading into the cellar of the house. By the time of the victims' discovery, LaDue testified, the maroon car had disappeared and a rescue vehicle was parked in its place.

Entering through the back door of the house, LaDue saw Nicole in the "hallway crying saying her mother was downstairs sick." Believing that Nicole was just trying to get attention because LaDue heard "some moving around downstairs" at this point, she went upstairs to wait for her stepfather, Heath. Within a few minutes, LaDue saw her stepfather pull into the driveway and a few moments later heard him frantically calling out her name from the first floor.

Although severely beaten, Laferte survived her attack. However, she testified that because of the injuries sustained as a result of the assault she had "no recollection" of who had attacked her. Laferte had known defendant prior to the assault, having been the maid of honor in his wedding. Apparently she was also having an extramarital affair with defendant at the time of the attack.[1]*1204 Prior to the crime, Laferte and her husband, Ernie, had arranged to mate their pit bull terrier with defendant's pit bull. In return for the use of his pit bull defendant was to receive the pick of the subsequent litter.

The defendant in turn had promised the dog to John Allard (Allard), who at the time was living with Sherri Richards (Richards), defendant's former sister-in-law. On the morning of February 19, 1982, Allard and defendant arranged to meet at Allard's house in order to pick up the dog from Laferte. At approximately 12:30 p.m. defendant walked over to Allard and Richards's house with his two children whom Richards had agreed to watch. According to Richards, Allard and defendant were picked up by Allard's brothers between 1:20 and 1:30 p.m.

Allard and defendant arrived at Laferte's first-floor apartment, picked out a puppy, and left without incident before 1:45 p.m., according to Carol Rivet (Rivet), Laferte's sister, who was then present in the apartment. The defendant subsequently arrived back alone at Richards's apartment between 2 and 2:30 p.m. in a car borrowed from his brother John Tempest. Upon arriving at the apartment, defendant informed Richards that he was going to meet his brother-in-law Bobby Monteiro (Monteiro)[2] at Sylvia's Lounge in Woonsocket, return his brother's car, and walk back to Richards's apartment. The defendant then left. The next time he arrived back at Richards's was between 4:30 and 4:45 p.m. Approximately five minutes before, Allard had arrived home with a pit bull puppy.

Richards stated that defendant was in her driveway "standing on the outside of Bobby Monteiro's car with the door partly open talking to" Monteiro. Monteiro's car was described by Richards as "huge," "maroon," and "four door." Richards testified that defendant was wearing the same clothing that he had been wearing when he arrived except that he had changed his boots. Additionally he had a bite or scratch mark on his wrist that had not been there earlier. The defendant also appeared to have been drinking shortly before his arrival.

Around 5 p.m. defendant and Allard went out to get a pizza. During that time defendant's brother Gordon Tempest (Gordon),[3] then a detective sergeant and second in command of the Woonsocket police department's night division, called. Gordon called to inform Richards about Laferte. Richards responded that both defendant and Allard had been there earlier in the day. Gordon then told Richards to have defendant either call or come by the station. When defendant and Allard arrived back, Richards informed them of Gordon's call. Both were in shock over the incident and subsequently decided to walk over to the police station, not returning until 10 or 11 p.m.

The next day, February 20, 1982, defendant arrived back at Allard and Richards's apartment. The three of them, Allard, defendant, and Richards, sat around the kitchen table to discuss "what happened the day before about Sue [Laferte] and to think about who did it and to decide what we were going to say." The three made an agreement to say that defendant had been at Allard's father's house with Allard.[4]

In the years following Picard's death defendant admitted his responsibility for the murder to numerous people. One of these somewhat bizarre incidents occurred at the end of 1982 or early in 1983, when John Guarino (Guarino), who lived in the apartment above defendant, went out with him to the Providence nightclub Allary's (now Sh-Booms). *1205 During the course of a few drinks, while seated at a table, Guarino, "out of curiosity," asked defendant if "he committed the murder." Guarino testified that defendant

"told me he went into the basement of the house where the Picard girl lived and he said that he had — his right hand was moving up and down when he was talking to me and he told me that he hit one of them over the head and another woman came down [into the cellar] and he had to beat her up, too."

Guarino testified he did not take defendant seriously at this point because while explaining what he had done, defendant was "kind of laughing." However, Guarino did take it seriously enough that upon arriving home, he woke up his then-girlfriend Donna Bousquet (Bousquet), presently Donna Carrier, and told her what defendant had said.

A few weeks after this conversation, defendant came to Guarino and Bousquet's apartment and appeared "very, very nervous." According to Guarino, defendant stated that the cops were outside watching his house. He also threatened Guarino, saying that Guarino had better keep his mouth shut in reference to their conversation at Allary's. Additionally defendant again admitted his responsibility for the murder but added "they have no proof."

This entire conversation was overheard by Bousquet who was sitting in the next room a few feet away. She stated that defendant "was very upset because Sue [Laferte] was going to tell Jane (defendant's wife at that time) something and that he and Jane had just gotten back together." She further testified that defendant said that "the other girl came down the stairs at the wrong time, saw him hitting Sue. He couldn't let her get away and he had to do her, too." He also explained that when he left, no one saw him come in and that he was well aware that the two women were seriously injured.

On numerous other occasions defendant also admitted his culpability to Ronald Vaz (Vaz), a man with whom defendant occasionally snorted cocaine. The first of these occasions was two days following the murder. According to Vaz, defendant was jogging when Vaz pulled his car over to talk with him. In the ensuing conversation, defendant questioned Vaz, asking, "`Danny [Shaw] told you everything about it?'" Vaz replied that Shaw had. This response prompted defendant to reply that defendant was in serious trouble and that "`[t]hey'll get me for this one * * * my father won't get me out of this one.'"[5]

In the following months defendant, during a series of visits to Vaz's house, gave fairly detailed accounts of what had occurred. Vaz testified that defendant stated that he had left the crime scene with Shaw and Monteiro in Monteiro's big maroon car. The three had stopped in order for defendant to call his father, Raymond Tempest, Sr. (Ray, Sr.), but could only reach his brother Gordon. After the call the three returned to defendant's house because defendant had some blood on him; he also wanted to call Gordon again. On another visit to Vaz's house, defendant told Vaz that he was afraid Monteiro would talk, stating that Monteiro "`had said something to somebody about the murder and that he was kind of the weak link in this case.'" He also explained to Vaz that his father had told him to get some "strong" alibis.

On still another occasion defendant told Vaz that on February 19, 1982, he had an argument with Laferte in the cellar of her apartment house over the dog defendant was supposed to receive. This argument led into a further quarrel over the relationship the two were having. Apparently, Laferte wanted defendant to leave his wife while she in turn would leave her husband; he refused. Following his refusal Laferte hit defendant, who in turn beat her. On yet another occasion defendant arrived at Vaz's house with police pictures taken of the two women immediately following the attacks. He passed them around and commented, "`They said I 0did a bad job *** I don't think I did a bad job, do you?'"

The defendant also admitted his culpability in the murder to Loretta Rivard (Rivard). In January 1988 Rivard and defendant met for the first time at a bar in Blackstone, Massachusetts, although Rivard already knew him by sight. After about ten or fifteen minutes of conversation, defendant asked Rivard if she wanted to go out to his car and snort some cocaine. After ten minutes of snorting cocaine in defendant's car, they reentered the bar and drank a few more beers. A half an hour later, defendant asked Rivard if she wanted to go back to her house and "`party.'" She agreed. At her house they snorted some more cocaine and consumed more beer. During this time and without any inducement, defendant stated to Rivard, "`Do you remember the girl that was killed in the basement in Woonsocket? I killed her but I'll get away with it, I'm a Tempest, I'll slide.'"

On June 4, 1991, following a decade of police investigation, defendant was indicted for murder in violation of G.L. 1956 (1981 Reenactment) §§ 11-23-1 and 11-23-2. The defendant was tried before a jury. The trial lasted over fifteen days, during which more than forty witnesses gave testimony. On April 22, 1992, the jury returned a verdict of guilty of murder in the second degree. After filing a motion for new trial that was denied, defendant was subsequently sentenced to eighty-five years imprisonment. The defendant now appeals.


In the present case Gordon testified on direct examination that he never spoke to his father, Ray, Sr., about the homicide on the day of the murder. He also stated that other than taking a routine statement from his brother the day of the murder at the Woonsocket police station, he had never had a discussion concerning the Picard murder with defendant. The clear tenor of Gordon's testimony on direct examination was that he did nothing out of the ordinary in investigating this case.

On cross-examination the prosecution asked Gordon, "Do you remember having a conversation in 1982 with Estelle Accord at the St. James Hotel?" After Gordon denied having any memory of the conversation, the prosecutor asked "In 1982, did you tell Estelle Accord that your brother Beaver had killed Doreen Picard and that Raymond Tempest, Senior, would make sure that nothing happened to Beaver?" After a brief and pointed discussion among the trial justice, prosecution and defense counsel, Gordon resumed testifying and denied that he ever had any such conversation with her.

The defendant next asserts that his right to cross-examine Woonsocket Detective Ronald Pennington (Pennington) was abridged when the trial justice refused to allow counsel to inquire into Laferte's identification of her possible assailant. This restriction is alleged to be in violation of the Sixth and the Fourteenth Amendments. During direct examination, Laferte testified that she had no recollection of ever having identified any assailant. Apparently as a result of the assault, her ability to recall events, even subsequent to the attack, had substantially deteriorated. However, during her hospitalization Sergeant Donald Gosselin (Gosselin) of the Woonsocket police department had presented her with a list of names in an effort to determine who had beaten her. One such name to which Laferte nodded affirmatively was that of a man named Donald Dagesse, who defendant asserted was the perpetrator of the attack. Another, however, was Donald Duck.

I believe that Raymond Tempest was responsible, and that Doreen Picard was killed because she came down to the cellar and witnessed his attack on Laferte. Tempest is currently appealing his conviction, based on his claims of false testimony and witness manipulation, but it's pretty obvious that he did make various incriminating statements, had assistance with an alibi and the his father and brother, both on the Woonsocket PD, tried to cover up for him. There's a lot of information in this document that wasn't on UM:

https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1935215/state-v-tempest/

*Tempest made statements to several people that he had committed the crime - he even showed someone the crime scene photos and bragged about the attack (see below).
*Susan Laferte was having an affair with Tempest at the time of the attack, and Tempest was worried that his wife, whom he was reconciled with, would find out.
*Tempest's former sister in law and her boyfriend provided him with a false alibi for the time of the murders
* Tempest was protected by his brother and his father, who were a lieutenant and second in command in the Woonsocket PD at the time. (His brother Gordon was later convicted of perjury for making false statements under oath about the investigation and was ordered to serve seven years in prison after being fired from the police department.)

Here are parts of the document (bolded by me)

WHOA.

Good find, soilentgreen!

Lot of information to process. I'll add my thoughts after I've digested a bit.

I don't know who or what to believe now.

I read that whole thing on caught.net a couple years ago about Donald Dagesse being the perpetrator and that Raymond "Beaver" Tempest was being framed and set up.

Now I read those excerpts that soilentgreen provided and they basically lay out the exact opposite scenario. So, either someone (or a group of people) went to great lengths to lie and protect Tempest or another group (police department? etc.) has lied to protect the now-deceased Dagesse.

I guess since Dagesse's deceased and Tempest is still in prison (? I think?), the point is moot, but I'm still unsure on which one was the real perp.

Looks to be an update in the case regarding Raymond Tempest.

http://www.whdh.com/story/29534962/ri-mans-murder-conviction-vacated-after-23-years

A woman named Susan LaFerte, along with her brother, had been found guilty in 2015 of defrauding investors of millions of dollars.

Could it be the same Susan?

A woman named Susan LaFerte, along with her brother, had been found guilty in 2015 of defrauding investors of millions of dollars. Sentencing is due in April 2016.
http://www.theunion.com/news/20506345-113/costs-in-gold-country-lenders-case-pass-600k#

Could it be the same Susan? An article at the time of their arrest late in 2012 mentioned she was 58 at the time. The LaFerte who was victim of the attack was, I believe, 27 in 1982.

This other article has a mugshot:
http://www.theunion.com/news/crime/4402834-113/grand-jury-court-lester

I'm not sure it's the same person.

Here's the ruling: http://www.leagle.com/decision/In%20RICO%2020150714450/TEMPEST%20v.%20STATE . It goes into detail of the mtDNA testing performed on three hairs with sufficient DNA (out of thirty-six) clutched in Doreen Picard's left fingers. The testing suggested that the hairs came from at least two, and perhaps three, distinct persons, and Tempest was excluded as the donor of Hairs 1 and 2 but could not be completely excluded from Hair 3 (the results were inconclusive). Based on the condition of the hairs, none of which had attached roots but were all cut or broken, it was suggested that the hairs were from the floor of the laundry room and became adhered to Picard's fingers (due to the large amount of blood on the floor) at the time of the attack.

The state is appealing: http://truthinjustice.org/tempest.htm :

In an effort that was years in the making, Tempest assembled a team of lawyers from the Boston-based Innocence Project to advance his claims of wrongful prosecution. The IP lawyers initially petitioned for post-conviction relief in 2004 on the basis of newly discovered DNA evidence, an issue which ultimately turned out to be moot, but later they raised a range of other claims that Procaccini found compelling.

On July 13, after a 23-day hearing, the judge ruled Tempest did not receive a fair trial in 1992 and therefore, his conviction must be vacated. In a 78-page ruling, Procaccini concluded that Tempest’s civil rights had been violated because a prosecutor who argued the state’s case at his 1992 trial withheld exculpatory evidence from the defense and members of the Woonsocket Police Department elicited false testimony from witnesses by employing overly suggestive interrogation techniques.

In copious briefing memoranda submitted to the high court, however, the state has signaled that it intends to attack Procaccini’s ruling on two main fronts. One is that the judge unlawfully permitted Tempest to raise some of his post-conviction claims too late, making it nearly impossible for the state to defend them – mainly because nine of the original trial witnesses are deceased.

Among them are three who claimed Tempest confessed to them that he was guilty of Picard’s murder, but that he would get away with it because of his family ties to law enforcement.

Tempest is the brother of former Woonsocket police detective Gordon Tempest, who was fired following his conviction on perjury charges related to sworn statements he made about his brother’s involvement in the homicide. He is also the son of the late Raymond Tempest Sr., who was the former second-in-command of the Woonsocket police and the sitting high sheriff for Providence County when the murder took place.

State prosecutors also contend that the post-conviction relief hearing, in effect, unlawfully morphed into a sort of retrial because Tempest was allowed to raise claims about witness credibility that were already settled during the 1992 trial.

anyone know if this is on the Farina episodes on Amazon video and what it is called?

anyone know if this is on the Farina episodes on Amazon video and what it is called?

I'm sure it's on the Farina episodes. I know I've seen it... just can't remember when. I'm not a huge fan of how Spike and CM shaped the "new episodes." It seems to be fairly jumbled and it's hard to remember what segments aired together...

RobinW covered this recently in his podcast. I'm convinced that Donald Dagesse was the killer:

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/providence/obituary-preview.aspx?pid=148489813

It's on Season 1, Episode 3 of Unsolved Mysteries.

I'm sure it's on the Farina episodes. I know I've seen it... just can't remember when. I'm not a huge fan of how Spike and CM shaped the "new episodes." It seems to be fairly jumbled and it's hard to remember what segments aired together...

Yeah, why would you seek out the Farina version when the Stack version is readily available now.

Yeah, why would you seek out the Farina version when the Stack version is readily available now.

I have to believe there are some out there who genuinely like the Farina episodes. I don't think it's any of us on these boards, but there has to have been an audience...

Yeah, why would you seek out the Farina version when the Stack version is readily available now.



Hi there. When I asked that question the Farina versions were the only ones available

I have to believe there are some out there who genuinely like the Farina episodes. I don't think it's any of us on these boards, but there has to have been an audience...

Hi! It's me. I'm the one.

Hi! It's me. I'm the one.

Well, hello! :wave:

Great to have you!

It's the ghost of Dennis Farina! Our very own unsolved mystery!

Found this today

http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20170307/state-to-retry-raymond-beaver-tempest-in-1982-woonsocket-murder

Nine witnesses have died since his 1992 trial.

That will probably bode well for him.

That will probably bode well for him.


Yeah, especially if Donald Dagesse really did do it.

Found this today

http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20170307/state-to-retry-raymond-beaver-tempest-in-1982-woonsocket-murder

Heh. Can't believe I missed this news. Whether Tempest did or not, I really don't see how they could possibly secure a conviction this time, since the entire brunt of the original case against him was testimony from witnesses who are now either dead or have been seriously discredited.

I'm not sure if anyone had posted this, but I found it today and it was what was said by Doreen's sister at the trial. It is pretty lengthy and gives some nice details into the type of person Doreen was. It also goes into more detail of the attack, etc... Interesting read:

https://patch.com/rhode-island/woonsocket/younger-sister-remembers-doreen-picard

I'm not sure if anyone had posted this, but I found it today and it was what was said by Doreen's sister at the trial. It is pretty lengthy and gives some nice details into the type of person Doreen was. It also goes into more detail of the attack, etc... Interesting read:

https://patch.com/rhode-island/woonsocket/younger-sister-remembers-doreen-picard

Thanks for that link. Such a sad read. :(

A woman named Susan LaFerte, along with her brother, had been found guilty in 2015 of defrauding investors of millions of dollars. Sentencing is due in April 2016.
http://www.theunion.com/news/20506345-113/costs-in-gold-country-lenders-case-pass-600k#

Could it be the same Susan? An article at the time of their arrest late in 2012 mentioned she was 58 at the time. The LaFerte who was victim of the attack was, I believe, 27 in 1982.

This other article has a mugshot:
http://www.theunion.com/news/crime/4402834-113/grand-jury-court-lester

It looks like this one is in CA.