Fifty-year-old cold case solved; suspect has been dead for two years

Jan. 20—New Hampshire authorities announced Wednesday that they have solved a nearly 50-year-old cold case murder, but no prosecution will take place because their suspect died in prison two years ago.

The announcement involved the June 1972 murder of Arlene Clevesy, a resident of Haverhill, Mass., whose body was found in Newton, N.H. Clevesy, 48, died from drowning and suffocation, according to a statement issued by Attorney General John Formella and New Hampshire State Police.

Her killer, Albert Francis Moore Jr., died of prostate cancer in prison in Massachusetts in November 2019. He was serving a life sentence for the August 1972 murder of a man in Salem, Mass.

When interviewed by investigators, Moore denied both murders.

In an unsigned statement, Clevesy's family said they felt some relief knowing who is responsible. They expressed gratitude that justice has officially been served.

"Arlene Clevesy was not just a cold case. She was our mother, our aunt, our sister, our daughter, and our friend," the statement reads. "Beautiful and charismatic, she carried herself with class and confidence, polished in her appearance and strong in personality."

Homicide prosecutors went as far as indicting Moore in 1977, but they dropped the charges two years later. He was already imprisoned for the Salem murder at the time.

In 2015, the Justice Department's Cold Case Unit reopened the case and gathered enough evidence to become convinced that Moore killed Clevesy.

"However, since Mr. Moore is deceased, he cannot be prosecuted for her murder. Therefore, this case will be closed as 'solved,' but without an arrest and prosecution," reads a statement released by Formella.