Blair charged with second-degree murder

Robert W. Blair of 171 Gilford Ave. has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of Donna Bucker. The unemployed 47-year-old man was arraigned in Laconia District Court yesterday morning.

Judge Stephen H. Roberts, agreeing with the state's request, returned Blair to the Belknap County Jail in lieu of $500,000 cash bail. The accused is due back in court for a probable cause hearing on the afternoon of June 8.

Police found Bucker, 53, lying dead on a bed in Blair's apartment just after 9 a.m. on Sunday morning. It is not clear if she died Saturday night or during the early morning hours of Sunday.

Blair is alleged to have struck Bucker on her head — one or more times — on Saturday afternoon, knocking her to the floor. State Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas Andrews, after an autopsy on Monday, concluded that the woman died by blunt force trauma to the head.

With his hair neatly combed and wearing an orange jail-issue jumpsuit, Blair quietly stood at attention and listened as Justice Roberts explained the legal process and his rights to him. He answered in the affirmative when Roberts asked him if he would need a court appointed lawyer.

Blair initially had been held on a second-degree assault charge but the state dropped that accusation when Justice Roberts agreed to the state's request for substantial bail on the murder charge.

Assistant Attorney General David W. Ruoff told Roberts that Bucker's death was the result of a "domestic assault". He characterized the dead woman's 16-year relationship with Blair as "tumultuous and violent". Later he said he based that portrait on a review of prior arrest records.

Ruoff said Blair had been charged with assault in Belmont at some point but he could not find a conviction on his record.

Justice Roberts told Blair the bail was not only meant to insure that he returned to court for further proceedings in the case but also to "protect yourself and the community."

Prosecutors provided Roberts with a four-page affidavit — authored by Laconia Police Sgt. William F. Clary — that detailed what police learned when they investigated Bucker's death. The report outlines a day of drinking, arguing and fighting, followed by a bizarre three-hour delay between the time Blair told police he realized Bucker was dead and his eventual call to 911. (See related story.)

Ruoff told the court that Blair hit Bucker knowing that she had a history of heart problems and was taking blood thinning medication.

At a press conference at the Laconia Police Station that followed Blair's court appearance, Ruoff and Lt. Russ Conte of the State Police Major Crime Unit both declined to add any real detail to what was in Clary's affidavit. Conte said the state is "far from through" with its investigation and indicated they were focusing on the couple's history together.

Ruoff said second-degree murder was the correct charge in this case because, while Blair had "recklessly caused" Bucker's death and had shown "extreme indifference to life", the state would not be able to prove that he acted with premeditation. Second-degree murder is an "unrated felony", he said, punishable by up to life in prison.

Ruoff said the couple has been living in apartment number three at 171 Gilford Ave. for only about three months.

Laconia Police Chief Tom Oetinger, at the press conference, called the case "another tragic example" of the toll domestic violence takes on society and, in response to a question, said the crime is "far too commonplace" in his city.

If Blair is able to post bail he will be restrained from contact with Jay Agrusso, Tracy Agrusso, David Dodge and Kimberly Clough. All are potential witnesses in the case. He will also have to agree to waive extradition should he flea to another state.

According to Clary's affidavit, Jay Agrusso was in the apartment on Saturday afternoon and told police he saw Blair hit Bucker in the head with a closed fist. Tracy Agrusso — Jay's wife — told police that Bucker pointed to two different places on her face where she claimed Blair had hit her when Agrusso came to her aid on Saturday afternoon.

Dodge told police that Blair came to his home at about 7 a.m. on Sunday morning and told him that Bucker was dead and that "he had killed her".

Clough is Bucker's daughter. Blair told police that Bucker was on the phone with Clough when the couple started arguing.

Blair also told police that Bucker had thrown things at him and "injured his hand with some sort of razor blade". At the press conference, Conte would not comment on that allegation but reporters observed what appeared to be lacerations on the back of Blair's left hand as he waited for this court appearance.

If, on June 8, the state is successful in making its case there is "probable cause" that Blair committed second-degree murder he will be bound over to Superior Court, where he will be asked to enter a plea.