Ronney James Lee is pictured above

By DAMIEN FISHER, InDepthNH.org

Cold case investigators say they know who sexually assaulted and murdered Portsmouth Beauty School student Laura Kempton in 1981, but he’ll never face justice.

That’s because the suspect, Ronney James Lee, died in 2005 from a drug overdose. New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said Thursday he hopes solving the case, even without the ability to bring a prosecution, will help Kempton’s family heal.

“It is my hope that this conclusion and announcement will be the long-awaited first step in providing what closure the criminal justice system can provide for Laura Kempton’s family and community,” Formella said.

Kempton, 23, was found murdered in her Chapel Street apartment around 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 28, 1981. The cause of death was massive head trauma, consistent with being struck by a blunt object, causing contusions and lacerations of the brain, according to police statements.

“It was an unspeakable act of violence,” said Portsmouth Police Chief Mark Newport.

Police say she was last seen alive entering her apartment alone during the early morning hours of Sept. 28 after spending the night out socializing with a friend. The autopsy revealed she was killed shortly after she got back into her apartment.

During the initial investigation, police collected physical evidence that turned out to be the key to solving the murder 40-years later.

“For 40 years, the Cold Case Unit and the Portsmouth Police Department continued their relentless pursuit of justice for Laura Kempton, her family and all those who knew and loved her,” Formella said.

Police would follow hundreds of leads and potential suspects over the next four decades without being able to find Kempton’s killer. Last year, however, Portsmouth Police Department, working in conjunction with the New Hampshire State Police Forensic Laboratory, the Maine State Police Forensic Laboratory, the Attorney General’s Cold Case Unit, and Identifinders International, used forensic genetic genealogy technology to identify Lee as the likely suspect.

That analysis, combined with more evidence, and additional analysis completed in 2023, helped police zero in on Lee, and conclude he is the murderer.

Lee died of acute cocaine intoxication at the age of 45 on Feb. 9, 2005, a few decades before he would be caught. He was 21 years old at the time of Kempton’s murder. According to his obituary, Lee had served in the United States Army in the 1970s, and worked at Freudenberg NOK in Manchester for 15 years toward the end of his life. Officials say Lee did not know Kempton at the time of the murder.

Formella said Lee was responsible for some burglaries in the Portsmouth area at the time of Kempton’s murder.

He started working a security job in Portsmouth, and he started breaking into homes, according to investigators.

Lee committed a series of burglaries in between 1981 and 1983 in Portsmouth. He ended up pleading guilty to two of them in 1983. After serving a sentence for those crimes, he was next arrested in 1987 in Keene for a burglary that included the sexual assault of one of the women who was in the home at the time, according to investigators. Lee was convicted and sentenced to the New Hampshire State Prison from December of 1987 to July of 1990.

Formella said if Lee were still alive, the Attorney General’s Cold Case Unit and the Portsmouth Police Department would seek alternative charges of first-degree murder for knowingly causing the death of Laura Kempton before, after, or while engaged in the commission of, or while attempting to commit aggravated felonious sexual assault; and alternatively, for purposely causing Ms. Kempton’s death by striking her with a blunt object.

“The Portsmouth Police Department should be commended for its commitment and perseverance in seeking justice for Ms. Kempton and her family. I would also like to express my sincere thanks to the members of our Office’s Cold Case Unit and all of our law enforcement partners that were involved in investigating and finally resolving this case.”

Since there is no way to prosecute Lee, the case is considered solved based on the DNA and other evidence, according to Formella. 

Kempton’s family released the following statement:
“The Kempton family wishes to express our deepest gratitude to the Portsmouth police department for solving Laura’s case.  Their diligence and determination, along with extraordinary personal commitment over the past decades, have led to this moment for Laura.  

“The family would like to acknowledge Retired Captain John Peracchi, Portsmouth Police Department Investigative Division, and his team members past and present, who have worked tirelessly on Laura’s case. Their extraordinary efforts have led to this important moment today. 

“Many, many other hands have touched Laura’s file over the past forty-one years, and the family expresses our deepest gratitude to all who contributed.”

The Kempton family asked for privacy as they process this information.

Formella’s office did not respond to questions about other potential murders involving Lee. A little more than a year after Kempton was found dead in her apartment, Portsmouth Police found Tammy Little, 20, murdered in a Maplewood Avenue apartment. 

Little, like Kempton, was a Portsmouth Beauty School student. Also, like Kempton she was killed as a result of massive head injuries.

“We’re not answering these questions today, but I hope today’s news will help lead to developments in other cases,” Formella said.

Little’s case remains unsolved for now, but the Cold Case Unit and Portsmouth Police are still working.

“We never give up on these victims,” Formella said.