Blair to claim self defense

The morning of his longtime girlfriend's death, Robert W. Blair, 47, of 171 Gilford Avenue in Laconia, reportedly drove to a friend’s house nearby and, over a cup of coffee, said that he had probably killed her by hitting her in the head.

Now Blair, after being arrested and charged with second-degree murder for the women’s death in early June, is preparing to go to trial where he may say that he fatally struck the woman only in self-defense.

“Robert Blair will claim at trial that his actions of hitting Donna Bucker was to stop Ms. Bucker from continuing to assault him,” according to documents filed in Belknap Superior Court by Blair’s attorney, Donna J. Brown of the NH Public Defenders Office.

Blair’s trial was originally scheduled to begin January 3, but it has been rescheduled for May 5.

Blair’s case made headlines Memorial Day weekend last year after he was charged with in the death of Bucker, 53, his long-time live-in girlfriend. Police said the two were arguing and drinking alcohol for a long period of time on Saturday when a physical altercation broke out between the two.

Bucker allegedly threw some household items at Blair, and he reportedly tried to restrain her, according to a police report. At some point in the dispute, Blair hit Bucker in the head, causing her to fall to the ground.

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

But when Blair woke up about 5:30 a.m. in bed with Bucker, he reportedly told his friend he thought she was dead.

After meeting the friend, Blair reportedly returned to his residence. He called police around 9 a.m. and said that Bucker may have died of a heart attack.

On Oct. 4, Blair was arraigned in court where he pled not guilty to the second-degree murder charge. If he’s convicted, he could face life in prison.

Later that month, Attorney Brown informed court officials that Blair was considering pleading self-defense to the charge.

In November, Brown asked Judge Lawrence Smuckler to allow a deposition to be taken of the state’s medical examiner. The judge approved the request.

But during the process, Brown asked the examiner a question about wounds that may have been found on Bucker’s hand indicating a struggle. The County Attorney’s Office refused to allow the doctor to answer. Brown pointed out that the deposition was only part of the “discovery” process of the case, but the county attorney’s representative was told that she needed to “get your own expert.”

Later that month, attorney Brown asked the court for a deposition of Dr. William Pendlebury of Burlington, Vt., a neuropathologist and expert on examining brains and in December, she asked that a deposition be taken of Dr. Samuel Land, a forensic pathologist.

Judge Smuckler granted both requests.