Blair pleads guilty to reduced charge

The man police accuse of killing his girlfriend by striking her in the head last summer — then driving over a friend’s house for a cup of coffee after he discovered that she had expired — has plead guilty to manslaughter charges stemming from the incident.

Robert W. Blair, 43, of 171 Gilford Avenue in Laconia was originally charged with second-degree murder in the death of Donna Bucker, 53, his longtime live-in girlfriend. If convicted, he could have faced life in prison.

Instead the worst punishment Blair can receive for a special felony/manslaughter conviction is between 10 and 30 years in prison. He could also be fined $4,000.

Bucker died last year over Memorial Day weekend after she and Blair had spent a good part of Saturday arguing and drinking alcohol, according to police. At some point during the day, a physical altercation broke out between the two. Bucker allegedly threw some household items at Blair and he hit her in the head, causing her to fall to the ground.

Not long afterwards, Bucker passed out. Blair told police he was unsure whether it was from the alcohol or the injury so he and a friend put her to bed.

Blair awoke about 5:30 a.m. and noticed that his girlfriend’s lips were blue.

He drove to a friend’s house where he reportedly drank coffee and confessed that he might have killed Bucker.

Sometime later in the morning, Blair returned to his residence and called police. He told them he thought the woman may have died of a heart attack.

In October, Blair was arraigned in Belknap County Superior Court. He pled not guilty to the second-degree murder charge.

Later that month, his attorney informed court officials that Blair was considering changing his plead to self-defense.

The trial was originally scheduled to start in January, but legal wrangling forced it to be rescheduled for May.

At a pre-trial conference on Monday, Blair entered his guilty plea to the reduced manslaughter charge, confessing that he acted “recklessly” in regards to Bucker’s death. Court records indicate that the admission is part of a plea agreement with the state attorney general’s office; it is signed by Assistant Attorney General David Ruoff.

The court asked that a pre-sentencing investigation of Blair be prepared by the Department of Corrections. That process usually takes about six weeks.