By The Patriot Ledger staff HINGHAM - It was more than 30 years ago that 27-year-old Leslie Spellman split up with her sister Amie in Vermont to hitchhike to Acadia National Park in Maine.
It was the last time her sister would see her alive.
Spellman, of Hingham, was found beaten to death on the grounds of the Asticou Inn in Northeast Harbor, Maine, on June 19, 1977.
Although police never found the killer, they have a renewed belief that they can solve the crime.
Maine State Police Sgt. Troy Gardner said DNA analysis and other sophisticated technology, and new ways of studying footprints and fingerprints could enable the investigation of the decades-old murder to move forward.
State Police and Amie Vaughan, Spellman’s sister, held a press conference this week in hopes of bringing attention back to the case.
A vacationer found the body of Spellman, a yoga instructor, on a path in the Asticou Inn’s azalea garden. Spellman had been last seen the day before in Barre, Vt., with her dog, Taylor.
Vaughan, now 52, came from Chapel Hill, N.C., for the press conference.
‘‘It’s never over. It never goes away,’’ Vaughan said. ‘‘I would like to know who did it and where they are now.’’
Gardner, the police sergeant, said the person who killed Spellman is bound to have shared his or her secret.
‘‘People engaged in this type of behavior talk,’’ he said.
Lorne Acquin, a Connecticut man accused of killing nine people in 1977, was once considered a suspect. In 2000, the arrest of serial killer James Hicks in Texas prompted police to look at his possible involvement. Hicks killed his wife in Maine in 1982 and moved about the state, working at various paper mills.
At the time, investigators would not say whether Hicks was a suspect, and Gardner would not confirm or deny whether Hicks is a suspect now.
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops
About MassCops, the home for Massachusetts law enforcement.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network opened in 1998 and is now a part of the New England Police Network The site is a pro-police discussion forum intended for sworn police officers and civilian law enforcement officials as well as those interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement here in Massachusetts.
The goal of The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network is to provide an informal network of law enforcement officials here in Massachusetts for educational and informational purposes.
The forum covers many topics such as Police Related News Articles, Agency & Profession Discussions, Police Training as well as Law Enforcement Career Information.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network and The New England Police Network (NEPN) and it's network sites are privately owned websites/domains and are not affiliated with or endorsed by any government association or agency.
MassCops (masscops.com) and (masscop.com) are privately owned are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Massachusetts Coalition of Police (masscop.org)
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops