this was on one of the specials. i remember there were two women attacked in the laundry room of an apartment complex, and one of them died; the other has no memory of the attack. the only witness was the little girl...
any updates on this one??

^ Well first off Nicole Laferte didn't see her mother murdered. Her mother was Susan Laferte and she was the one who experienced amnesia following the attack. The woman who died was named Doreen Picard.

The case to this day is still mired in controversy. First off there was an apparent police cover up and then a subsequent arrest of a suspect Raymond Tempest who was eventually convicted of the murder of Picard.

However there is reason to believe that Tempest was not involved at all in the attack on Susan Laferte or the murder of Doreen Picard. In fact in subsequent years Susan Laferte's daughter Nicole seemed to finger another man (Donald Dagesse) as her mother's attacker. A rather large website devoted to Tempest and his supporters' beliefs that he was framed can be found here:

http://www.caught.net/cases/beaver1.htm

Hello all. Longtime lurker, first time poster.

I have probably seen this UM segment at least a dozen times in my lifetime. There was something I didn't notice until I watched it again on Crystaldawn's awesome DVD compilation. During the segment, Susan Laferte is interviewed in silhouette. However, UM shows several pictures during the segment where they don't conceal her identity. I found that a bit odd and thought that defeated the whole purpose of silhouette.

Welcome killgas20...:) Yes that is strange they would show I'm assuming fairly recent pictures of her yet hide her face during the interview. I don't think Raymond Tempest is guilty having watched other shows about the attack and read up on the crime. A big red flag that UM didn't mention is that Tempest's wife was best friends with Susan Laferte! Surely the little girl would have recognized him if it were him she saw leaving that day. Like Dante said the little girl did see that man, Donald Dagesse, at a family gathering and it seemed to make her very upset and I believe she mentioned something to her family indicating he was the one she saw the day of the attack.

Welcome killgas20...:) Yes that is strange they would show I'm assuming fairly recent pictures of her yet hide her face during the interview. I don't think Raymond Tempest is guilty having watched other shows about the attack and read up on the crime. A big red flag that UM didn't mention is that Tempest's wife was best friends with Susan Laferte! Surely the little girl would have recognized him if it were him she saw leaving that day. Like Dante said the little girl did see that man, Donald Dagesse, at a family gathering and it seemed to make her very upset and I believe she mentioned something to her family indicating he was the one she saw the day of the attack.

I'm unfamiliar with the details surrounding Tempest's conviction. Was a motive ever established? I just ask because it always struck me that this attack was very brutal and possibly an "overkill" which is usually indicative of a highly personal motive. Whoever was responsible really had it out for Doreen, and Susan just happened to be in the proverbial wrong place at the wrong time or vice versa. Or, I suppose he could have been gunning for both ladies, but this seems unlikely. Since Doreen died, I think it's a good assumption that she got the brunt of the attack, so more than likely the killer was someone associated with her. Just a thought.

Welcome killgas20...:) Yes that is strange they would show I'm assuming fairly recent pictures of her yet hide her face during the interview. I don't think Raymond Tempest is guilty having watched other shows about the attack and read up on the crime. A big red flag that UM didn't mention is that Tempest's wife was best friends with Susan Laferte! Surely the little girl would have recognized him if it were him she saw leaving that day. Like Dante said the little girl did see that man, Donald Dagesse, at a family gathering and it seemed to make her very upset and I believe she mentioned something to her family indicating he was the one she saw the day of the attack.


Wow, I had no idea that there was more on this case than what we saw on UM. Yes, it does seem that if Tempest was familiar with the family that little Nicole would have recognized him. Very bizarre. Any websites with more info?

BTW, welcome killgas20 :wave:

Any websites with more info?


The website that Dante linked above has a lot of info about the case. :) I watched a show about it on Discovery Times but can't remember the name of it. That is where I got the info from I mentioned.

Yes, I have believed for sometime that Beaver got the short end of stick. The fact that his wife was best friends with Susan just puts the icing on the cake for me. Beaver would have been a regular or semi-regular precense at the Lafarte home and surely the little girl would have seen him before.

What I always found odd was how the murder weapon was left in a hall closet, yet wasnt found for four days? There was just something about that, that always bothered me. I guess I just assumed the cops would have searched the entire residence and the basement area and the first floor and just every where the day this murder happened. This was obviously very poor police work on the part of the Woonsocket Police Department. One of a number of police blunders on this investigation (in my opinion).

It just seems to me the police werent willing to consider anyone else but Beaver could have done this. Once he became a suspect the investigation was over as far as the cops were concerned. All they concentrated on was nailing Beaver for the crime.

It seems ol Donald Dagesse was a good suspect. Yet he was never seriously considered by the police? He did and said very strange things in the time after the murder. Of course this doesnt necessarily prove murder. However Dagasse I think is a much better suspect than Beaver but that is just my opinion.

Dagesse was kept under close watch by the cops when he visited the hospital. The cops I know thought whoever killed Doreen and nearly killed Susan would probably come hunting for her at the hospital to "finish the job". Beaver showing up to the hospital with his wife does not seem like Beaver was planning on finishing anything. Dagesse showing up alone though and talking in the third person about what he did is just creepy.

Hello folks, if you could please help, I have a few questions. This is my first post to the site and I don't know how to order the specific episode about the "Beaver" Tempest" case. I am also looking for any and all information/links that anyone may have, including other telvision shows that may have aired this case. I have read the caught.net stuff, but that comes from one perspective and I am trying to find out everything. This is a local case to me and I am REALLY interested but don't want to explain WHY on the net. I hope you can understand and help.
Thanks

Hello folks, if you could please help, I have a few questions. This is my first post to the site and I don't know how to order the specific episode about the "Beaver" Tempest" case. I am also looking for any and all information/links that anyone may have, including other telvision shows that may have aired this case. I have read the caught.net stuff, but that comes from one perspective and I am trying to find out everything. This is a local case to me and I am REALLY interested but don't want to explain WHY on the net. I hope you can understand and help.
Thanks

First off, welcome! :) I have a copy of this segment if you want to email me at heathergraup@yahoo.com. I have seen this case profiled on the tv show "Guilty or Innocent". At the time it was on the Discovery Times Channel (since renamed Investigation Discovery). I'm not sure if they air that particular show on that channel anymore but here is an IMDb page about the episode:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0593862/

Also found a thread on this board that has a few newspaper articles posted:

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=200809