Suffield, Connecticut– SUFFIELD, Conn. (AP) — A man He was charged last month In the 1973 murder of a woman in Connecticut, she died while serving a prison sentence for kidnapping and sexual assault in another cold case.
George Leger, 77, was found unconscious in his cell Friday night at McDougall Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield. The Department of Corrections announced Tuesday that he died early Saturday at a local hospital.
The cause of death “pending further study,” the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said.
Leggeri, who had a lengthy criminal history, was arrested Sept. 24 while serving a 25-year prison sentence in another cold case for kidnapping and sexual assault. Police charged him with murder after he admitted to stabbing 21-year-old Janet Couture in her East Hartford apartment while trying to steal money to buy drugs, according to an arrest affidavit.
“I went to the apartment looking for money, and unfortunately the person woke up and recognized me, leaving me no choice to do what I did,” Legere said, according to police. “I ended up stabbing her.”
Investigators said Legere’s confession came after information from another inmate, who told police that Legere admitted to killing Couture and wrote and signed a confession in July, ordering the inmate not to be released until after his death.
The Connecticut Department of Corrections and Connecticut State Police are investigating Legere’s death.