Edward Mayrand
New England Serial Killer
CLASSIFICATION: Serial Homicide
LOCATION
Providence, Rhode Island
TIME PERIOD
1983-1994
VICTIMS
3 confirmed
The case involves Edward M. Mayrand Jr., an American serial killer and rapist who was active in New England between 1983 and 1994, with confirmed murders of three women. The crimes occurred in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, with the last known victim, Patricia Paquette, murdered in 1994 in Providence, Rhode Island. Mayrand was convicted of Paquette's murder but died in prison from lung cancer in 2011 before he could be charged with two additional murders linked to him posthumously via DNA evidence. Significant evidence includes the DNA matches that connected him to the unsolved cases of Kathleen Daneault and Judith Whitney, both of whom were also strangled. Mayrand's extensive criminal history included prior convictions for rape and assault, highlighting a pattern of violent behavior leading up to his serial killings.
Investigators and the public speculate that Edward Mayrand may have been responsible for additional unsolved murders in New England, as he was posthumously linked to two other deaths through DNA evidence. There is also a belief that his history of violence and criminal behavior indicates a pattern that could connect him to other cases beyond those for which he was convicted. Some theorize that his drifter lifestyle allowed him to evade capture and continue his crimes across multiple states.
The Grim Trail of Edward Mayrand: A Serial Killer's Journey
Edward Mayrand's life was a dark tapestry woven with violence and crime, stretching from the late 1970s until his death in 2011. Born in 1947 in Northampton, Massachusetts, Mayrand's name would become synonymous with terror across New England. He strangled three women between 1983 and 1994, leaving a legacy of fear and heartbreak. Though only convicted for the murder of Patricia Paquette in Providence, Rhode Island, the shadows of his crimes extended into Massachusetts and New Hampshire. It was only after his death from lung cancer that DNA evidence posthumously linked him to the other two murders, finally unraveling a chilling mystery.
A History of Violence
Edward Mayrand was a drifter, a man whose criminal record was as itinerant as his lifestyle. His brushes with the law began at least as early as 1975, with convictions for rape, assault, and illegal possession of firearms. Among the more harrowing of these incidents was one in Warwick, Rhode Island, where he lured a woman from a bar under the guise of offering her a ride. Instead, he drove her to an isolated area, viciously assaulted her, choking her with her own scarf before raping her in a cemetery. Miraculously, she escaped his clutches, fleeing naked through the woods to safety. For this crime, Mayrand was imprisoned until his release on parole in the fall of 1983.
The Murders
Kathleen Daneault
Mayrand's release marked the start of a string of brutal murders. On November 23, 1983, in Gardner, Massachusetts, he encountered 25-year-old Kathleen Daneault at the Mahaki Restaurant. The two left together, but only Mayrand would return. The next day, her body was discovered on a dirt path near the S. Bent Furniture Factory, strangled with a piece of her own blouse. Mayrand was soon back behind bars for violating his parole, but this was only a temporary respite for the public.
Judith Whitney
In May 1986, after serving his time, Mayrand was released once again, moving to a halfway house in Northampton, Massachusetts, under strict conditions. Here, he was required to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, through which he met Judith A. Whitney in June 1987. A Kentucky-born divorcée with three daughters, Whitney worked selling firearms at a sporting center. By July, she had informed her family about a camping trip with her new boyfriend. She was last seen with Mayrand at the Valley Green Motel in Keene, New Hampshire. Despite never checking out, Mayrand was later spotted driving her 1980 Ford Mustang, and in August, he was discovered hiding in a closet in an apartment in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Arrested for parole violation, he offered a flimsy excuse that Whitney had left him after an argument. Her necklace and watch had been given away, and he had abandoned her Mustang in Fitzwilliam.
The breakthrough came on November 8, when a hunter unearthed Whitney's skeletal remains in a shallow grave off Route 119 in Winchester, New Hampshire. She, too, had been strangled with her clothing, and the killer had tied a drawstring from her raincoat around her neck.
Patricia Paquette
Mayrand's cycle of incarceration continued. In 1989, he was imprisoned again for illegal possession of a weapon, a charge that kept him in the New Hampshire State Prison for Men in Concord for two and a half years. During his confinement, he hinted at his murderous past to fellow inmates, but these admissions were not enough for a conviction. Upon his release, he relocated to Providence, Rhode Island. In 1994, he met 46-year-old Patricia Paquette at a drinking lounge. Their time together was short-lived, as her dismembered body would be discovered on December 21, stuffed in plastic garbage bags in an abandoned building near Mayrand's residence. She had been strangled before being dismembered.
Arrest and Unfinished Justice
Edward Mayrand's freedom ended in February 1995 when he was captured in New Haven, Connecticut, and extradited to Rhode Island. Convicted of second-degree murder for Patricia Paquette's death, he received a sentence of 35 to 60 years in prison. The cases of Kathleen Daneault and Judith Whitney remained unsolved until 2010 when the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit, alongside Massachusetts State Police and the Worcester District Attorney's Office, reopened the investigations. By June 2011, as they prepared to obtain DNA evidence from Mayrand, they discovered he was terminally ill. A DNA sample was finally secured, and by September 2014, it conclusively tied him to the murders of Daneault and Whitney. Tragically, Mayrand had died from metastatic lung cancer in 2011, evading earthly justice for his other crimes.
Sources
For more details, you can visit the original Wikipedia page: Edward Mayrand
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First Murder: Kathleen Daneault
Edward Mayrand strangles Kathleen Daneault after meeting her at a restaurant.
Second Murder: Judith Whitney
Judith Whitney goes missing after a camping trip with Mayrand; her remains are found later.
Third Murder: Patricia Paquette
Patricia Paquette's dismembered remains are discovered in Providence, Rhode Island.
Arrest in Connecticut
Edward Mayrand is arrested in New Haven, Connecticut, after being on the run.
Conviction for Paquette's Murder
Mayrand is convicted of second-degree murder for Patricia Paquette's death.
Cold Case Reinvestigation
New Hampshire Cold Case Unit begins reinvestigating the murders of Daneault and Whitney.
DNA Sample Obtained
Authorities obtain a DNA sample from Mayrand as he is gravely ill.
Posthumous Link Established
DNA links Mayrand to the murders of Kathleen Daneault and Judith Whitney.
Mayrand's Death
Edward Mayrand dies from lung cancer in prison before he could be charged with additional murders.
The case involves Edward M. Mayrand Jr., an American serial killer and rapist who was active in New England between 1983 and 1994, with confirmed murders of three women. The crimes occurred in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, with the last known victim, Patricia Paquette, murdered in 1994 in Providence, Rhode Island. Mayrand was convicted of Paquette's murder but died in prison from lung cancer in 2011 before he could be charged with two additional murders linked to him posthumously via DNA evidence. Significant evidence includes the DNA matches that connected him to the unsolved cases of Kathleen Daneault and Judith Whitney, both of whom were also strangled. Mayrand's extensive criminal history included prior convictions for rape and assault, highlighting a pattern of violent behavior leading up to his serial killings.
Investigators and the public speculate that Edward Mayrand may have been responsible for additional unsolved murders in New England, as he was posthumously linked to two other deaths through DNA evidence. There is also a belief that his history of violence and criminal behavior indicates a pattern that could connect him to other cases beyond those for which he was convicted. Some theorize that his drifter lifestyle allowed him to evade capture and continue his crimes across multiple states.
The Grim Trail of Edward Mayrand: A Serial Killer's Journey
Edward Mayrand's life was a dark tapestry woven with violence and crime, stretching from the late 1970s until his death in 2011. Born in 1947 in Northampton, Massachusetts, Mayrand's name would become synonymous with terror across New England. He strangled three women between 1983 and 1994, leaving a legacy of fear and heartbreak. Though only convicted for the murder of Patricia Paquette in Providence, Rhode Island, the shadows of his crimes extended into Massachusetts and New Hampshire. It was only after his death from lung cancer that DNA evidence posthumously linked him to the other two murders, finally unraveling a chilling mystery.
A History of Violence
Edward Mayrand was a drifter, a man whose criminal record was as itinerant as his lifestyle. His brushes with the law began at least as early as 1975, with convictions for rape, assault, and illegal possession of firearms. Among the more harrowing of these incidents was one in Warwick, Rhode Island, where he lured a woman from a bar under the guise of offering her a ride. Instead, he drove her to an isolated area, viciously assaulted her, choking her with her own scarf before raping her in a cemetery. Miraculously, she escaped his clutches, fleeing naked through the woods to safety. For this crime, Mayrand was imprisoned until his release on parole in the fall of 1983.
The Murders
Kathleen Daneault
Mayrand's release marked the start of a string of brutal murders. On November 23, 1983, in Gardner, Massachusetts, he encountered 25-year-old Kathleen Daneault at the Mahaki Restaurant. The two left together, but only Mayrand would return. The next day, her body was discovered on a dirt path near the S. Bent Furniture Factory, strangled with a piece of her own blouse. Mayrand was soon back behind bars for violating his parole, but this was only a temporary respite for the public.
Judith Whitney
In May 1986, after serving his time, Mayrand was released once again, moving to a halfway house in Northampton, Massachusetts, under strict conditions. Here, he was required to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, through which he met Judith A. Whitney in June 1987. A Kentucky-born divorcée with three daughters, Whitney worked selling firearms at a sporting center. By July, she had informed her family about a camping trip with her new boyfriend. She was last seen with Mayrand at the Valley Green Motel in Keene, New Hampshire. Despite never checking out, Mayrand was later spotted driving her 1980 Ford Mustang, and in August, he was discovered hiding in a closet in an apartment in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Arrested for parole violation, he offered a flimsy excuse that Whitney had left him after an argument. Her necklace and watch had been given away, and he had abandoned her Mustang in Fitzwilliam.
The breakthrough came on November 8, when a hunter unearthed Whitney's skeletal remains in a shallow grave off Route 119 in Winchester, New Hampshire. She, too, had been strangled with her clothing, and the killer had tied a drawstring from her raincoat around her neck.
Patricia Paquette
Mayrand's cycle of incarceration continued. In 1989, he was imprisoned again for illegal possession of a weapon, a charge that kept him in the New Hampshire State Prison for Men in Concord for two and a half years. During his confinement, he hinted at his murderous past to fellow inmates, but these admissions were not enough for a conviction. Upon his release, he relocated to Providence, Rhode Island. In 1994, he met 46-year-old Patricia Paquette at a drinking lounge. Their time together was short-lived, as her dismembered body would be discovered on December 21, stuffed in plastic garbage bags in an abandoned building near Mayrand's residence. She had been strangled before being dismembered.
Arrest and Unfinished Justice
Edward Mayrand's freedom ended in February 1995 when he was captured in New Haven, Connecticut, and extradited to Rhode Island. Convicted of second-degree murder for Patricia Paquette's death, he received a sentence of 35 to 60 years in prison. The cases of Kathleen Daneault and Judith Whitney remained unsolved until 2010 when the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit, alongside Massachusetts State Police and the Worcester District Attorney's Office, reopened the investigations. By June 2011, as they prepared to obtain DNA evidence from Mayrand, they discovered he was terminally ill. A DNA sample was finally secured, and by September 2014, it conclusively tied him to the murders of Daneault and Whitney. Tragically, Mayrand had died from metastatic lung cancer in 2011, evading earthly justice for his other crimes.
Sources
For more details, you can visit the original Wikipedia page: Edward Mayrand
No Recent News
No recent news articles found for this case. Check back later for updates.
No Evidence Submitted
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Join the discussion
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First Murder: Kathleen Daneault
Edward Mayrand strangles Kathleen Daneault after meeting her at a restaurant.
Second Murder: Judith Whitney
Judith Whitney goes missing after a camping trip with Mayrand; her remains are found later.
Third Murder: Patricia Paquette
Patricia Paquette's dismembered remains are discovered in Providence, Rhode Island.
Arrest in Connecticut
Edward Mayrand is arrested in New Haven, Connecticut, after being on the run.
Conviction for Paquette's Murder
Mayrand is convicted of second-degree murder for Patricia Paquette's death.
Cold Case Reinvestigation
New Hampshire Cold Case Unit begins reinvestigating the murders of Daneault and Whitney.
DNA Sample Obtained
Authorities obtain a DNA sample from Mayrand as he is gravely ill.
Posthumous Link Established
DNA links Mayrand to the murders of Kathleen Daneault and Judith Whitney.
Mayrand's Death
Edward Mayrand dies from lung cancer in prison before he could be charged with additional murders.