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Murder of Melissa Ann Tremblay

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Melissa Ann Tremblay
Born(1977-03-01)March 1, 1977
DisappearedSeptember 11, 1988 (aged 11)
LaSalle Social Club, Lawrence, Massachusetts
StatusFound murdered
DiedSeptember 12, 1988(1988-09-12) (aged 11)
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Cause of deathStabbing
Body discoveredSeptember 12, 1988, Lawrence, Massachusetts
MonumentsPlaque at Lancaster School, Salem, New Hampshire
Other namesMissy
EducationLancaster School

Melissa Ann Tremblay was an 11-year-old, sixth grade girl from Salem, New Hampshire who was found dead from stabbing at the Boston and Maine Railroad in the nearby Lawrence, Massachusetts on September 12, 1988,[1] after disappearing when going to play in the area the day before. The crime received nationwide attention at the time and remained unsolved for nearly 34 years.

On April 25, 2022, Marvin McClendon, Jr., a 74-year-old retired prison guard from Alabama who lived in Chelmsford at the time of the murder, was arrested from new evidence after having been a person of interest for years.[2][3][4] McClendon pleaded not guilty. On December 27, 2023, a mistrial was declared due to a hung jury.[5] On November 5, 2024, McClendon was found not guilty.[6]

Murder

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Melissa Ann Tremblay, known as "Missy" to her loved ones, was with her mother and her mother's boyfriend at the LaSalle Social Club on the evening of September 11, 1988, playing outside. Her mother noticed Melissa was missing and began to look for her, eventually turning to the police at around 9pm. The two people who last saw Melissa were a pizza delivery employee and a rail worker who spotted a van being near her before she disappeared.

On September 12, Melissa was found dead on the tracks of the Boston and Maine Railroad. She had been stabbed to death, and a passing train ran over her left leg and amputated it from the rest of her after she was already dead. Footprints and blood were found near the scene. An examination of her wounds revealed the killer was left-handed. The community was rattled, and kids were closely supervised in reaction to Melissa's murder. A plaque was placed at Lancaster Elementary School in Salem, New Hampshire, where Melissa attended, under a tree and around flowers and pinwheels in her honor.

In recent years, Melissa's childhood friends reportedly spread notices of her murder to prevent her case from being forgotten in the interest of answers.[7][8][9][10][11][12]

Suspect

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Marvin C. "Skip" McClendon, Jr., was born on July 3, 1947, and was an employee of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections from 1970 to 2002, before moving to Bremen, Alabama for his retirement. McClendon also worked in carpentry, often providing work in Lawrence and was handling a job there at the time of Melissa's murder. Police worked with a cold case team composed of assistant district attorneys and state police detectives, who provided fresh evidence from Melissa's person in 2014 linking McClendon to her murder. McClendon and his family gave DNA samples, and matching with forensic evidence in Melissa's postmortem examination, McClendon was the only family member who was left-handed. McClendon reportedly communicated details of the murder not released to the public when questioned.

Melissa's living family released a statement after McClendon's arrest, saying they were hoping for justice for years and never stopped thinking about Melissa.[13][14][15][16]

McClendon was classified as a fugitive and arrested in Alabama under according charges placed in a warrant. He waived a rendition hearing and was transported back to Massachusetts, and in May 2022, the presiding judge remanded McClendon without bail. Bail request paperwork was withheld from the public eye due to holding personal history information of McClendon's and arguments of third party involvement. An Essex County grand jury indicted him for Melissa's murder. Massachusetts has no capital punishment for murder in the first degree, but McClendon faced a potential life sentence without parole from a successful conviction on charges.[17][18][19][20] McClendon pleaded not guilty. On December 27, 2023, a mistrial was declared due to a deadlocked jury.[5]

In October 2024, a re-trial was conducted for McClendon.[21] On November 5, 2024, McClendon was found not guilty.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Rousseau, Morgan. "Family of cold-case murder victim Melissa Ann Tremblay speaks out after mistrial: 'Justice needs to be served'". www.boston.com. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
  2. ^ "In 1988, an 11-year-old was stabbed to death. Now a suspect is in custody". ABC News. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  3. ^ Ravin, Robin. "Suspect Is Finally Charged In The Cold Case Stabbing Murder of 11-Year-Old Girl". Investigation Discovery. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  4. ^ McColgan, Flint (15 June 2022). "Man accused of 1988 cold case murder of girl, 11, in Lawrence indicted". The Boston Herald. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Jury deadlocks in trial of Marvin McClendon, charged in 1988 murder of girl in Massachusetts". CBS News. 27 December 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Jury finds Alabama man not guilty of murdering 11-year-old girl in 1988". Associated Press. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  7. ^ Millisky, Remy (25 January 2023). "WHO IS MELISSA TREMBLAY, THE COLD CASE MURDER VICTIM FROM 1988?". Grunge. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  8. ^ "Family Reacts After Man Charged in 1988 Killing of 11-Year-Old Appears in Court". NBC News Boston. 14 May 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  9. ^ Dresch, Matthew (28 April 2022). "Mystery murder of girl, 11, stabbed to death 'solved' after police find evidence". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  10. ^ Brewer, Ray (27 April 2022). "Man arrested in 1988 killing of 11-year-old girl from Salem, New Hampshire". WMUR 9 ABC. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  11. ^ "Family of Melissa Tremblay releases statement after arrest in her killing". YouTube. 29 April 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  12. ^ "Alabama Man Arrested For 1988 Murder Of 11-Year-Old Melissa Tremblay In Lawrence". YouTube. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  13. ^ MacNeill, Arianna (27 April 2022). "An 11-year-old girl was murdered in 1988. Authorities say they've found the man who did it". Boston.com. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  14. ^ Harmacinski, Jill (24 August 2022). "Alabama murder suspect seeking bail in 1988 Lawrence cold case". The Eagle Tribune. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  15. ^ Smith, Tristan (29 April 2022). "'We have always prayed for justice': Family of 11-year-old Melissa Ann Tremblay, killed in 1988, speak out on arrest of Marvin 'Skip' McClendon Jr". MassLive. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  16. ^ Lambe, Jerry (16 June 2022). "Former Corrections Officer Indicted in 1988 Cold Case Murder of 11-Year-Old Girl". Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  17. ^ "Alabama Man Arrested in 1988 Murder of 11-Year Old Girl". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  18. ^ Tron, Gina (16 June 2022). "Ex Massachusetts Corrections Officer Indicted For 1988 Murder Of 11-Year-Old Girl". Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  19. ^ Harris, Chris (28 April 2022). "N.H. Girl, 11, Was Killed After Wandering Away from Her Mother in 1988, Suspect ID'd as Former Officer". People Magazine. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  20. ^ Newsum, Kait (29 April 2022). "Family speaks out after Alabama man arrested in connection to 1988 murder". CBS News 19. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  21. ^ "Jury begins deliberating in trial of Alabama man accused of murdering 11-year-old girl in 1988". Associated Press. October 28, 2024.
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