Portsmouth PD closes 1981 cold case through DNA database

CONCORD — A cold case homicide from September 1981 in Portsmouth has been solved. No arrest will be made, and no prosecution commenced, however, because the perpetrator died in 2005, according to Attorney General John M. Formella and Chief Mark Newport of the Portsmouth Police Department. 

During the morning hours of Sept. 28, 1981, the body of Laura Kempton, 23, was discovered in her residence in Portsmouth by a police officer attempting to speak with her about unpaid parking tickets. 

Investigators learned that Kempton had last been seen alive in the early morning hours of Sept. 28, entering her apartment alone after a night out socializing with a friend. An autopsy later concluded she died as a result of massive trauma to the left side of her head. The autopsy also revealed that Kempton was killed the morning of Sept. 28. Physical evidence was collected from the scene that, years later, revealed a male DNA profile.

Over the next four decades, investigators pursued hundreds of leads and potential suspects, but were unable to identify the perpetrator. In 2022, Portsmouth police, working with the New Hampshire State Police Forensic Laboratory, the Maine State Police Forensic Laboratory, the Attorney General’s Cold Case Unit and Identifinders International, used forensic genetic genealogy technology to identify the perpetrator through analysis of numerous DNA samples recovered from the scene in 1981. That forensic analysis, combined with additional evidence and analysis completed in 2023, identifies Ronney James Lee as responsible for Kempton’s death. Lee died of acute cocaine intoxication at age 45 on Feb. 9, 2005. He was 21 at the time of the homicide.

Based on the evidence, the Attorney General’s Cold Case Unit and Portsmouth PD would seek charges of first-degree murder if Lee were still alive. The charges come from knowingly causing the death of Kempton before, after, or while engaged in the commission of, or while attempting to commit aggravated felonious sexual assault; and for purposely causing Kempton’s death by striking her with a blunt object.

“It is my hope that this conclusion and announcement will be the long-awaited first step in providing what closure the criminal justice system can provide for Laura Kempton’s family and community,” said Formella.

"The family would like to acknowledge Retired Captain John Peracchi, Portsmouth Police Department Investigative Division, and his team members past and present, who have worked tirelessly on Laura’s case. Their extraordinary efforts have led to this important moment today," read a statement from the family of Laura Kempton, released on Thursday.  

The Attorney General's Office considers this case closed and “solved,” but without an arrest and prosecution.