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Dark Downeast
The Murder of Walter Page (New Hampshire)
00:33:36
Walter Page was a longtime member of the Freemasons in Manchester, New Hampshire. As treasurer of his local lodge, Walter had overseen the philanthropic efforts of their chapter for years, and he had also helped sort out the mess following more than one major financial theft. In the days before his death, Walter was on the verge of exposing yet another. Investigators have been exceptionally vocal about their views of what happened on that snowy night in December of 1995 and have even named a primary suspect in the case. But as the 30-year anniversary approaches, she has not been arrested. No one has, and Walter’s family is still waiting for the day that their father and grandfather gets the justice he deserves. If you have any information relating to the unsolved homicide of Walter Page, please submit a tip to the New Hampshire Department of Justice Cold Case Unit using the tip form. You can also call the Cold Case Unit directly at (603) 271-2663.
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- [00:02]
Kylie Lowe
Walter Page was a longtime member of the Freemasons in Manchester, New Hampshire. As treasurer of his local lodge, Walter had overseen the philanthropic efforts of their chapter for years. And he also had helped sort out the mess following more than one financial theft. In the days before his death, Walter was on the verge of exposing yet another. Investigators have been exceptionally vocal about their views of what happened on that snowy night in December of 1995, and have even named a primary suspect in the case. But as the 30 year anniversary approaches, she has not been arrested, no one has. And Walter's family is still waiting for the day that their father and grandfather gets the justice he deserves. I'm Kylie Lowe, and this is the case of Walter Page on Dark Down East. It was almost 3pm on Thursday, December 14, 1995, when a 911 call alerted local authorities that the home at 123 Walnut Hill Road in Manchester, New Hampshire was on fire. According to reporting by Cissy Taylor for the New Hampshire Union Leader, by the time firefighters arrived at the scene, the house was fully involved. It was a massive blaze burning through the heavy wet snow that fell around it. When the flames were finally contained, firefighters made a terrible discovery. A resident and owner of the home, 76 year old Walter Page, was found deceased in his basement office. Investigators surveyed the scene looking for a source that may have triggered this apparently fatal fire. As reported by Pat Grossmith for the Union Leader, the basement itself was coated in inches deep heating oil. Walter was reportedly known to keep two of everything, even oil tanks, especially after the 1970s oil shortages. And one of those tanks had split open and exploded. Everything in the immediate vicinity was covered with oil. What wasn't had been blackened by the fire's dense smoke or damaged by the torrent of water from the fire hoses. But from the very start of the investigation into the fire at Walter's home, something was off about it. Mere Hours before the 911 call, local police had actually received a bulletin that called for special attention at the home of Walter Page as well as two other residences. All three of the homes belonged to members of the Freemason organization. Within the 48 hours before the fire broke out, Walter and these two other men had all received alarming phone calls from an anonymous caller who threatened to blow up their homes. Walter reported the threat to police almost immediately, spurring the bulletin that was shared with local authorities that morning. And no doubt it was fresh in the minds of police when they responded to Walter's home address. But the red flags just kept getting bigger because investigators learned that it was not the house fire that killed Walter. Autopsy results revealed that Walter had suffered 12 stab wounds and it appeared that someone intentionally set his house ablaze in an attempt to cover the evidence. Walter's home was not just the scene of a fire, but a homicide. Walter Page was a respected and celebrated member of his community both within and outside of the Freemason lodges. Had been a member of since 1963. Nancy Mearsman reports for the union leader that he was once the master of Manchester's Washington Lodge 61. And as of 1995, Walter served as the Lodge's treasurer. Beyond his involvement with the Masons, Walter also worked as an investment broker and was vice president of Tucker Anthony Investment Services. But even his job circled back to the organization as he worked as an advisor for local Masonic groups to invest their funds. At the time, working in the financial realm of the Freemasons organization in Manchester came with a degree of controversy on no part of Walters. The Masons and associated entities had recently fallen victim to embezzlement and theft. According to Mike Rechts, reporting for the Concord Monitor, a year earlier, in 1994, a respected Manchester Mason and former master of the local Lafayette Lodge named Leonard Newell Sr. Was accused of stealing $100,000 in dues from five separate Masonic organizations. At the time Leonard was being paid to maintain the Masonic Temple. He served a 90 day sentence and was ordered to pay just over $10,000 in restitution, money he was still working on paying back as of December 1995 when Walter was killed. As treasurer of two of the Masonic groups Leonard had stolen from, Walter helped to navigate the financial issues that resulted from the embezzlement. He also furnished authorities with financial records, but never actively participated in the investigation against Leonard. On December 12, two days before Walter's murder, an administrator of the New Hampshire Masonic Home, Renee Lemire, was sentenced to four and a half to seven years in prison for embezzlement. Records show he embezzled $49,000 in Social Security and Medicare funds from residents of the home, which was an assisted living facility open to Masons and their wives or widows. Renee was also accused of helping steal more than $50,000 from the Hillsborough County Superior Court with his wife, Faith Yanez Lehmeier, who worked at the court. The day of Renee's sentencing was the same day Walter and two other Masons received threatening phone calls. And the phone call Walter received directly mentioned Renee's name. The caller was described as either a man trying to sound like a woman or a woman Trying to sound like a man, the caller told Walter they would blow up his house for, quote, what he did to Renee Lamire, end quote. In the case of Walter's fellow Mason, Conrad Ekdahl, the threat went far beyond anonymous words on the telephone. The same night, Conrad found an improvised incendiary device described by many sources as a Molotov cocktail placed at the door of his home. The homemade firebomb was comprised of a root beer bottle filled with lamp oil and a cloth wick and it was placed between the front door and storm door. But luckily it fizzled out before it could spread. A third unidentified Mason also received a threatening phone call saying he was next. But the La Meyer case being the motive for Walter Page's murder and the firebombing at Conrad Ekdahl's house didn't hold water. According to Nathaniel Foss, who was president of the Masonic Temple association, none of the people who were threatened, not even Walter Page, were connected to the La Meier case in any capacity. The only connection between the men was was that they were all Freemasons. Now, the Freemasons are one of those societies that carry a lot of history and mystery and conspiracy. Freemasonry is one of the largest and oldest fraternal organizations in the world, with its origin tracing back to England in 1717. The European Masons were known for plotting against royalty, while American Masons became known for promoting republican virtues of self government. According to an article by Peter Feuerhard titled the Strange History of Masons in America. The organization has deep roots in the history of the US which has been met with both criticism and praise, as well as a fair share of conspiracy theories. Multiple leaders from the founding of the country, including Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and Paul Revere, were famously Freemasons. In fact, as many as 21 of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were believed to be Masons. Even the construction of the White House began with a Masonic cornerstone ceremony. And since its completion, several presidents, including John Quincy Adams, Ulysses S. Grant, Franklin D. Roosevelt and George H.W. bush, have hosted local and national Masonic delegations at the White House. Masonic symbols and architecture can be found throughout the country, especially in the Capitol. And famously on the $1 bill. The eyeball floating above a pyramid is a Masonic symbol representing the eye of God watching over humanity. Many historians believe the Constitution and Bill of Rights were heavily influenced by the Masonic civil religion, which focuses on freedom, free enterprise and a limited role for the state. Traditionally, they are an all male organization, though some lodges have started accepting women. According to an NPR report by Christiana Silva. They don't do any recruiting. Interested parties instead have to ask to join and then be voted in. Once accepted, new members go through three steps, referred to as degrees. Each degree introduces them to different moral or ethical lessons, which are depicted through dramatic plays. They are also taught about Mason symbols, hand signals and secret modes of recognition. Depending on which degree they are, lodges are strictly forbidden from supporting political candidates or having a specific religious affiliation. There are no gathering places open all the time like the Elks and other organizations. Instead, each lodge meets once a month to discuss budget and membership matters, and there's no national headquarters. Over several centuries of the organization's activity in the United States, public opinion has fluctuated and soured. At times, the Masons faced appropriate backlash from abolitionists like John Brown, who denounced the group for being pro slavery. Even former president and former Mason John Quincy Adams spoke out against the group. One incident in particular, the William Morgan Affair of 1826, famously brought widespread suspicion. Former Mason William Morgan broke ranks with the organization and promised to expose the group's secrets to the world. This was allegedly met with his abduction and murder by Masons. According to Jessica Harland Jacobs, an associate history professor at the University of Florida who studies Freemasonry, any man, regardless of religion, race or social position, is eligible to join the brotherhood. However, this promise of inclusion is at odds with its secretive, exclusive practices. And while the Masons have opened their doors to more diverse potential members, many lodges still don't allow women to join, and they have struggled to attract members of color. Today, they still use their secret symbols and handshakes, but Masons focus primarily on social gatherings and charitable opportunities. As an organization, their primary aim is to, quote, promote brotherhood and foster morality. A focus on charity. However, they are not a visible service group, since most of their charitable work goes unpublicized. By 1995, when Walter was heavily involved in the finances and charitable efforts of the local organization, Masons nationwide had given half a billion dollars to charity, much of which comes directly from members who donate during special events. With the focus of the Masons being morality and philanthropy, the threatening acts and violence targeting Walter Page and other members shook the Freemason community in Manchester. People associated with the New Hampshire Grand Lodge suddenly feared for their own safety. The anonymous caller did not mince words. They would blow up Walter's home for, quote, what he did to Renee Lemire, end quote. Investigators had to ask the question, could Walter's murder have been a misguided attempt at revenge? Even though Walter was not part of that case in any way. Who would have sought such revenge if that was the case? Both Renee and his wife had a rock solid alibi of being detained at the time of the threats, fire and homicide. But police turned to their son Jeffrey. On the same day Walter was murdered, A car that looked a lot like Jeffrey's own vehicle caught fire right outside his apartment. Police asked if they could search Jeffrey's car, and he consented if they found anything relevant or the least bit interesting that hasn't been made public. Jeffrey spoke openly about police investigating him as part of Walter's case, acknowledging that he was one of the first suspects. And police were at his door within hours of the discovery of Walter's body. But he denied having anything to do with something so horrible. My family has done wrong things, but I'm not a murderer. It's an unfortunate thing my mother and father had nothing to do with. They admitted their wrongdoings. They've paid for their wrongdoings. I just wish we could all just get on with our lives. While it's certainly a compelling detail that the threatening call Walter received mentioned the Lamires by name, police learned that something else had occurred the same day of Renee Lemire's sentencing. And perhaps mention of his name was a coincidence or more likely, a red herring intentionally thrown into the mix as a distraction. It turns out Walter had just discovered yet another theft of Mason money. But he was killed before he could do anything about it. On December 12, 1995, Walter met with two other Masons at his home to discuss investments by the Manchester Masonic Service organization, which is a charitable organization within the Masonic Order. The association's president, Konrad Ekdahl, was there, as well as its treasurer, Carl Bickford. The topic of discussion that day was how to invest a sum of $109,000 that belonged to the association. As a trusted Mason member and advisor and a working investment broker, Walter often worked with the Masonic Service association to help invest its funds. Under Walter's advisement, the association had decided to invest that $109,000 in a money market account. While looking over the books during that meeting, Walter noticed a discrepancy in the ledger. He questioned an overdraft on the Masonic Service association account to the tune of $5,000. When he reviewed a checkbook that Carl had, he noticed a check was missing. Cross referencing it with a statement from his investment brokerage, Walter saw the missing check was written for the same amount, $5,000. And it only got worse when the investment brokerage Tried to cash the check for the 109 grand. It bounced. Insufficient funds. The account should have had enough money in there because just the day before the meeting, Carl's wife had picked up a check from Shawmut bank for $109,000, which she said she deposited into the Masonic Service Association's account at First NH Bank. She even turned over a deposit slip showing the transaction and confirming the deposit. When investigators checked that deposit slip, Carl's wife had presented, checking the account numbers and names and information contained within, they realized the slip was a fake. That six figure sum never made it into the proper account. Over $100,000 in Masonic money and perhaps more was missing, and Carl's wife was the last person to handle it. Police were able to question Carl's wife, 49 year old Bonnie Bickford, before she went on the Lam on December 15. The day after the murder. She was a no show for a planned dinner at her aunt's house. Later that night, she called her sister and admitted to stealing the money. Bonnie then sent a package to Carl with her wedding ring and other personal items, as well as a letter containing another confession to the theft of Mason funds. She also wrote letters to the Manchester Police Department and her parents. Bonnie's father had been a member of the Freemasons for 50 years. Two days later, around 5:46pm on Dec. 17, firefighters in Ware, New Hampshire were called to the scene of an automobile accident. A vehicle had gone off the road and was on fire. But something about the accident seemed suspicious. The car's license plate had been altered. Four of the characters on the plate were covered up in an attempt to conceal the full number. What's more, the fire appeared to have been intentionally set. Investigators discovered accelerants in the car. When first responders arrived, the driver was acting confused. She said she didn't know her own name or why she was in that town. A paramedic gave the woman oral glucose, believing that she may be diabetic. Despite her apparent amnesia, though, police identified the woman as Bonnie Bickford and there was an active warrant for her arrest. The woman was transported to Catholic Medical center in the company of police officers who did not read her Miranda rights. Per instruction from Manchester police. Doctors evaluated her condition and found she was fine. And so she was discharged into the custody of police. It was then that she finally dropped the amnesia act and admitted that she was indeed Bonnie Bickford and she hadn't really forgotten who she was. On December 18, 1995, Bonnie Bickford was arraigned on Charges of embezzlement for stealing more than $100,000 from a Masonic charitable organization. She was held on $500,000 bail, which was later reduced to $150,000 cash. During her arraignment on those charges, Bonnie was named the primary suspect in Walter Page's murder. However, she was not charged with any crimes specifically relating to his death. Bonnie's name being tossed around as a murder suspect came as a shock to many who knew her. According to reporting by the Concord Monitor, Bonnie was a grandmother, a former Sunday school teacher, and was actively babysitting for local families at the time of Walter's murder. As Jim Schofenbill reports for the Union Leader, people who knew her from town described her as kind, thoughtful, wonderful and lovely. Bonnie's husband, Carl, taught at West High School in Manchester, and the school's principal, Robert Baines, said the couple was thought of highly in the school community. Nathaniel Foss, then president of the Masonic Temple association, is quoted in the Boston Globe saying, there's no way in the world I could picture her being involved in any of this. End quote. And yet Bonnie admitted to many of the crimes she was accused of committing. After the suspicious car accident, when she pretended to be experiencing amnesia, Bonnie confessed to stealing money from the organization and giving money to her sister and other relatives. And she claimed responsibility for the threatening phone calls to Walter and others. She said she wanted to stop the meeting about the investment from happening on December 12, to quote, unquote, buy time. She also admitted to placing the Molotov cocktail at Conrad's home, all to divert suspicion. Bonnie reportedly told detectives that she needed money for her son because she didn't want him to go to jail. But there were no outstanding charges or judgments against her son at the time, so that story didn't make a ton of sense. During her probable cause hearing on December 27, 1995, Bonnie's husband Carl testified that he believed Bonnie cashed in the Mason CD after it matured and put the money in the savings account belonging to the association. But of course, when the check to the investment brokerage bounced, it was clear that money had not made it to the proper place. Meanwhile, chief investigator for the Criminal Bureau of the State Attorney General's Office, George M. Behan, testified that Bonnie actually created fake bank documents using a computer at the home of a family babysat for the bank on the deposit slip. Shawmut bank said they didn't have an employee by the name printed on the slip. And another deposit slip from First NH bank was also fake. So where did all that money go state? Assistant attorney general Joseph laplant said, quote, it's our information that the stolen money was spent. It is not being held anywhere, end quote. Witnesses testified during the probable cause hearing that Bonnie gave at least $10,000 each to four relatives. One family member said when they received the $10,000, Bonnie said it came from the estate of her grandmother. However, that could not have been true because her grandmother's estate had been given to the Masonic home. Bonnie was also accused of writing checks to herself for sums between $500 and $1,500 and allegedly withdrew over $2,700 by writing a check to her grandmother and then spent the money. On February 20, 1996, a Hillsborough county grand jury indicted Bonnie Wickford on eight counts of theft and one charge of arson for the firebomb placed at Conrad Ekdahl's home. Although the sum of money previously discussed was $109,000, indictments alleged that Bonney stole over $113,000 between September 10, 1992 and December 31, 1995. A few months after she was indicted in September of 96, Bonney filed a notice of intention to plea and was expected to plead guilty to six counts of theft and the arson count. On November 6, 1996, she was sentenced to to five to 10 years in prison for the theft charges and three and a half to seven years deferred sentence for the arson charge. At the time of her sentencing, Bonnie remained the prime suspect for Walter's. On August 17, 2000, after serving four and a half years of a five to ten year sentence, Bonnie stood before the parole board. A judge had already agreed to reduce Bonnie's sentence by six months and the parties had agreed on a lump sum payment which brought the restitution total to $100,000 for giving the remaining amount. By the time she appeared at her parole hearing, Bonnie had paid back about 70% of the money after she and her husband signed over assets, including their home. Several of Bonnie's family members attended the hearing, including her husband Carl. Two of Walter's children were also in attendance. Walter's daughter Dennett said they went to remind Bonnie, quote, we are still around. We haven't forgotten because we believe she is the person who murdered our father. End quote. Three Manchester police officers spoke out against Bonney's early release at her parole hearing, including chief Mark Driscoll and captain Richard o' Leary, a rare occurrence. But as deputy chief James Stewart said, quote, we were there because we are still investigating the death of Walter Page. We are still very much interested in Bonnie Bickford. End quote. Chief Driscoll formally expressed his disapproval to the three parole board members, saying Manchester police were very opposed to parole and that they believed Bonnie was a continued threat to the community. But the parole board members did not listen to the officers concerns and instead unanimously approved her early release, stating that Bonnie had served her time well. She had paid the Masons back the agreed amount, had gone through three years of psychotherapy and had no prior record or made any additional threats while in prison. When the parole board said she was a model prisoner. Chief Driscoll countered by reminding the board that Bonnie had also been convicted of arson, seemingly referring to the fact that she never served time. After pleading guilty to placing the firebomb at a Mason's home, she was sentenced to three and a half to seven years in prison for that, but the sentence was deferred, only to be imposed if she made any missteps in the first two years of her probation. Bonnie had a written statement prepared, but chose not to read it, which Captain o' Leary called wrong, saying the public ought to know what Bonnie was thinking. Is there any remorse? We don't know. After the parole hearing, the officer said while she may have convinced prison authorities that she was a meek, docile person, Manchester police believed the opposite was true. Deputy Police Chief James Stewart said after spending hours with her, he knew Bonnie to be a, quote, unquote calculating person. He's quoted by Nancy Mearsman in the New Hampshire Union Leader saying, we feel we know her psyche. We know what she's up to, what she has always been up to, end quote. Chief Driscoll called Bonnie a treacherous person and said her return to Manchester as a basically free woman felt like a great injustice. She was released on intensive probation. This included a curfew and unannounced visits at home from a parole officer. She was also told she could have no contact with the victim or any representative of the Masons. Side note. Bonnie's husband Carl was still an active Mason and remains greatly involved with the Manchester Masons. Today, both the Manchester police and Walters family feel they know who killed him. Yet the case remains unsolved nearly 30 years later. Authorities have said they believed that the murder, bombing and threats were all done in an attempt to cover up Bonnie's theft of Mason money. But to be clear, Bonnie Bickford has never been charged with any crimes as it relates to Walter Page's death. She remains innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The New Hampshire State Police cold Case unit now has her case. You know, if this case was open and shut, authorities would have made an arrest already. One of the things investigators have repeatedly pointed to as an obstacle in solving this case is the fact that the fire and aftermath absolutely destroyed Walter's home, taking all physical evidence with it. Bonnie's public defender back in 1996, Carolyn Smith, maintained that police had no evidence to connect Bonnie to Walter's murder, period. According to reporting by Pat Grossmith, investigators learned that a vehicle matching the description of Bonnie's car was seen near Walter's house on the day he was killed. However, Bonnie's attorney stated that the car was determined to belong to someone else entirely, and that person was in the area of Walter's home on the date of the homicide. So evidence once thought to place Bonnie at the scene was no longer very convincing. Jack Martin, secretary of the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire at the time, told the Associated Press, quote, I don't think the murder was intentional. I think someone went up there to try to talk Walter Page into not doing what he was going to do. In a moment of fear, you strike out. I don't know that, but that's what I suspect, end quote. But the nature of the murder, in which a 76 year old man was stabbed a full dozen times before his home was set ablaze, is not indicative of self defense or fear. Someone entered his home and left with his life. Manchester Deputy Police Chief Richard o' Leary said that while no one has been charged in Walter's death, the investigation remains open and will continue to stay open until someone is charged. He said there has only ever been one named suspect in the case and nothing has changed in that regard. In 2005, he told the Union Leader that he had spoken to Bonnie on and off since the murder and promised her the case would not be forgotten. Walter Page's children will always remember him as kind, strong and fearless. They shared reflections of his life with Kimberly Hawes of the New Hampshire Sunday News. In December of 2015, marking the 20 year anniversary of his murder, they talked about how During World War II, Walter sailed with the Navy through the Panama Canal to Boston on a boat too damaged to be serviced in Pearl harbor or San Diego. He was a family man and a loving husband. In the year before his life was so cruelly stolen. Walter and his wife Faye celebrated their 50th anniversary. The pair was known to be in exceptional shape for their 70s, which their daughter Dennett credits to their love of tennis. They played almost every day of the week. They even had a personal court in the backyard, and for 25 years had traveled with friends to Bermuda to play. But the aftermath of the fire and Walter's murder left an indelible mark on Faye's life. She suffered a massive stroke six months after Walter was killed and just one week before the charred remains of the home they shared with their family for 45 years was demolished. According to her daughter, Faye suffered both physically and emotionally from the stroke, but she remained hopeful that justice would someday come. My mother was unbelievable. She was not bitter. She kept her sense of humor, but she hoped there would be some closure. End quote. Faye died of cancer in 1999, waiting for justice that was never served, leaving behind questions her children still hope to be answered. Now, almost three decades later, after the fire destroyed the Page home, only a few personal items amongst the decades of family memories and keepsakes were salvageable. One of those things was a book on astronomy that Walter had given his granddaughter, also named Fay. Using that book, Walter's daughter and her husband, hand in hand with their daughter, set out on the first clear night following Walter's memorial to search for a particular star. It was Deneb in the Cygnus constellation. They planned to unofficially name the star Walt in memory of their beloved father and grandfather. Dennett said they chose to pick a star for Walter because her father, quote, shined throughout his 76 years, just as a star shines down upon the earth. If you have any information relating to the unsolved homicide of Walter Page, please submit a tip to the New Hampshire Department of Justice Cold Case Unit using the tip form linked in the description of this episode. You can also call the Cold Case Unit directly at 603271, 2663.
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Chuck
Thank you for listening to Dark Down East. You can find all source material for this case@darkdowneast.com Be sure to follow the show on Instagram arkdowneast. This platform is for the families and friends who have lost their loved ones and for those who are still searching for answers. I'm not about to let those names or their stories get lost with time. I'm Kylie Lowe and this is Dark Down East. Dark down east is a production of Kylie Media and Audio. Chuck so what do you think?
- [33:32]
Kylie Lowe
Chuck? Do you approve.