Wikipedia

Walter H. Bourque Jr.

Walter Henry Bourque Jr. (1937[a] – January 10, 2025) was an American convicted murderer who was the second longest-serving prisoner in United States history, and the third-longest worldwide.

Walter Henry Bourque Jr.
Bourque in July 1955
Born1937
Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S.
DiedJanuary 10, 2025 (aged 87)
Known forSecond-longest serving prisoner in US history (69 years, 31 days)
Criminal status
Deceased
ConvictionSecond-degree murder
Criminal penalty
Life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 18 years
Details
DateJuly 6, 1955
CountryUnited States
StateNew Hampshire
Date apprehended
July 8, 1955

Bourque served 69 years and 31 days after being sentenced to life in prison for second-degree murder in 1955 at the age of 18.

Early life

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Bourque was born in 1937, in Manchester, New Hampshire, to Walter Bourque Sr. and his wife Aurore Bourque.[4] He had a younger brother, George.[5] At the time of the murder, Bourque was employed at a local shoe factory.[6]

Murder and sentencing

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On July 6, 1955, Bourque—17 years old at the time—sexually assaulted and murdered his neighbor, four-year-old Patricia Ann Johnson, in the cellar of their adjoining tenement. Bourque stated that at approximately 3:30 p.m., he lured Johnson into the cellar and assaulted her. When Johnson threatened to tell her mother, Bourque choked her and threw a cap pistol at her before ultimately killing her with an axe.[7]

Following the murder, Bourque dug two separate holes in the earth-floor cellar of the tenement. He buried Johnson's body in a hole 2+1⁄2 feet deep, covered it with dirt, and placed a window screen over the grave; he buried her clothing in a second hole nearby.[8] After concealing the sites, he returned to his apartment.[9]

Bourque was involved in the search for the missing girl for two days, which included over 1,000 volunteers.[10][11] On July 8, the victim's father, Richard Johnson, informed police that his daughter occasionally visited the cellar to watch Bourque chop wood;[12][13] police subsequently took Bourque into custody. After two hours of questioning,[14] he confessed to two officers and led them to her body. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder and held without bail.

On July 11, Bourque pleaded not guilty in New Hampshire Superior Court. Following a grand jury indictment for first-degree murder on September 13,[4] he again pleaded not guilty on September 19; his trial was set for December 5, 1955.[15] At trial, Bourque admitted to the murder while on the stand.[16] Judge William A. Grimes instructed an all-male jury to choose between four separate indictments:[17][18] first-degree murder with capital punishment (hanging), first-degree murder with a mandatory life term, second-degree murder which could carry up to life, or first-degree manslaughter with a maximum 30-year sentence.[4] On December 10, the jury convicted him of second-degree murder; he was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 18 years.[19][20][21]

Imprisonment

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Bourque began his sentence at the New Hampshire State Prison for Men. In 1966, his application for parole was rejected due to the nature of his crime. He was transferred to a minimum-security unit in 1977 and then to the New Hampshire State Hospital in 1978 to participate in a sex offender program. While there, he was granted off-grounds privileges, including a 72-hour unescorted pass in 1979 to visit friends in Farmington. However, he was returned to prison later that year after being arrested and charged with forgery for cashing another patient's check.

In 1999, the parole board indicated it would release Bourque if he successfully completed a sex offender program. However, he was not assessed for the necessary treatment at that time to determine his eligibility for the program. Bourque continued to work in the prison print shop, a position he had held since 1958.[5][22][23]

Bourque died in custody on January 10, 2025,[21] after serving 69 years, 31 days. Only one other U.S. inmate is known to have served a longer sentence: Francis Clifford Smith, who served 70 years, 31 days in prison.[24]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ While some records estimate a 1938 birth date, reporting from July 1955[1] and November 1955[2] state Bourque was 17, and reporting from December 1955 states he was 18,[3] indicating a birth date in late 1937.

References

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  1. ↑ "Youth Confesses Ax Slaying of Girl, 4". The Standard-Times. July 9, 1955. p. 1.
  2. ↑ "Bourque Trial Date Is Set". Concord Monitor. November 18, 1955. p. 6. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Youth's Murder Trial to Open Monday". The Portsmouth Herald. December 2, 1955. p. 12. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "Chronology of Bourque Case". The Boston Globe. December 11, 1955. p. 41.
  5. 1 2 "N.H. inmate plans to die there in prison". Associated Press. July 6, 2004. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Youth Admits Slaying Girl With Ax". The Free Lance-Star. July 9, 1955. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  7. ↑ "'Confession' read at murder trial". Connecticut Post. December 8, 1955. p. 9. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Nude Body of Girl, 4, Was Buried". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. July 9, 1955. p. 28.
  9. ↑ "Boy Tells Court of Slaying Child". The Portsmouth Herald. December 9, 1955. p. 1.
  10. ↑ "Youth, One of 1000 Searchers, Confesses Ax Killing Of Neighbor at Manchester". The Morning Union. July 9, 1955. p. 13. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Youth Admits Ax-Killing Of New Hampshire Child". The Tribune. July 9, 1955. p. 1. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Murderer Charged In Girl's Death". The Oregon Daily Journal. July 10, 1955. p. 15. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Death Asked For Boy Slayer, 17". The Napa Valley Register. July 9, 1955. p. 5. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Youth Admits Slaying Child". Evansville Press. July 9, 1955. p. 7. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Bourque Trial Opens Dec 5". The Telegraph. November 18, 1955. p. 6.
  16. ↑ "Walter Bourque, Jr, Starts Life In Prison For Girl Slaying". The Caledonian-Record. December 12, 1955. p. 1. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Bourque 'Confession' Is Read to Murder Trial Jury". The Telegraph. December 8, 1955. p. 1.
  18. ↑ "Trial of Manchester Youth For Slaying Tot Opens Mon.". The Telegraph. December 2, 1955. p. 1.
  19. ↑ "Youth Sentenced to Life Term". Meriden Record. December 11, 1955. p. 6.
  20. ↑ "Guilty of Slaying Girl, 4". The Kansas City Star. December 11, 1955. p. 2.
  21. 1 2 New Hampshire Department of Corrections (NHDOC). (March 9, 2026). [Formal Request] Records Request Under RSA 91 A Walter Henry Bourque Jr. pp. 1–2.
  22. ↑ "Killer institutionalized after decades in prison". The Boston Globe. July 6, 2004. p. 30.
  23. ↑ "Measuring out 50 years hidden from the world". Concord Monitor. July 4, 2004. p. 1.
  24. ↑ Quinn, Annalisa (July 5, 2023). "Frank Smith was locked up for eight decades. At 98, what would it mean to be free?". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
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