Murder, She Told

New England's Most Wanted: John William McGrath

03.23.2022 - By Kristen SeaveyPlay

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1962 - Newport, New Hampshire.

John William McGrath was a brilliant teenager. He was accepted to Dartmouth University and was starring in the school play. He came from a loving home and had a good future... but on a chilly night in March of 1962, just shy of his 18th birthday, John took his father's beloved rifle, killed his little brothers, and waited in the dark for his parents to return home to give them the same fate.

How could such a bright young man murder his family in cold blood? John was found unfit to stand trial, and was committed indefinitely to the New Hampshire State Hospital where for the next decade, he was a star patient... until an ordinary Tuesday night in August 1974 when he simply walked away, and never returned.

This is the story of Francis, Willena, Peter, and Charles McGrath, whose lives were tragically cut short by somebody they loved, and the search New Hampshire's longest fugitive who took their lives, John William McGrath.

If you have any information about the whereabouts of John William McGrath, I encourage you to contact the New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force at (603) 225-1646.

Detailed sources can be found on murdershetold.com.

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