N.H. parole chief ‘devastated’
Freed man nabbed on murder charge
The New Hampshire Adult Parole Board’s chairwoman said yesterday she is “devastated” by the death of a North Andover woman allegedly at the hands of a man the board freed even after hearing chilling testimony from a prior victim.
Brian Chevalier was paroled earlier this year and is now being held as a fugitive in California in the killing of Wendi Rose Davidson in North Andover last month. Davidson, 49, a mother of two sons, was found April 21 strangled in the basement of her home. Four days later, Chevalier, her former fiance, was arrested in Mexico.
“First, my heart goes out to the family of Wendi Rose Davidson. Her death was a tragedy and I am devastated that it appears to be at the hands of a man released by the NH Parole Board,” Chairwoman Donna Sytek said in a statement.
“State law provides that written records of parole hearings are confidential so I am prevented from discussing those details regarding this case. However, our rules do allow for the release of audio recordings so the public can hear what was said at the hearing. Unfortunately, they cannot see all of the information the board considered in making its decision. Generally, the board receives the judge’s sentencing order, the inmate’s disciplinary record, his performance on previous paroles, a risk assessment, a recommendation from his case manager, a list of rehabilitative programs recommended and completed, a housing, employment, and treatment plan, a statement by the inmate about his crime and the reasons he thinks he should be granted parole.”
Last October, a woman Chevalier kidnapped 15 years ago testified against his release. The victim told the board in a written statement read aloud that Chevalier should not be underestimated, according to an audio recording of the hearing.
After conferring for less than 25 seconds, the board freed Chevalier and offered him “good luck” after he served 13 years of a 30-year sentence for kidnapping a Jaffrey, N.H., woman in 2003.
Chevalier was expected to appear in a California court yesterday trying to send him to Massachusetts after his capture in Mexico. Court officials in California did not return calls for comment yesterday.