Suspected killer had history of violence
Bodybuilder charged with attempted murder in past, had record of spouse abuse
A bodybuilder suspected of killing an Airdrie woman began a pattern of domestic violence two decades ago, leaving a trail of battered and bruised victims in his wake.
Documents obtained by the Herald show Richard (Rick) Doucette, 41, has been in trouble with the law for the past 20 years, with charges ranging from assault to attempted murder.
The lone suspect in an Airdrie murder-suicide had a long history of violence that also included “assaultive, controlling and manipulative behaviour” toward the women he was involved with.
Doucette’s body was found by RCMP at a Nanton hotel on Saturday afternoon, say sources.
Police confirmed the man, who committed suicide, is the only suspect in the death of Andrea Conroy, an Airdrie woman in her 30s who was found in her home Friday.
The two had been involved in a relationship, according to RCMP.
Prior to dating Conroy, Doucette had a record of domestic abuse.
Parole documents from 1998 obtained by the Herald show Doucette had served time in Ontario for attempted murder of a girlfriend.
Previously, he had been convicted of assault, pointing a firearm and uttering threats.
The documents, written after Doucette was freed in 1997 on mandatory release at the two-thirds mark of his sentence, said a “significant concern” still existed with respect to domestic and family violence issues, noting he had been a “perpetrator of spousal abuse.”
Although the documents suggest he had a “good stable and happy childhood,” corrections officials noted Doucette was “impulsive, aggressive and has assertion problems. He copes with stress poorly and is incapable of understanding the feelings of others. He has poor conflict resolution.”
No one from Doucette’s family returned calls Monday.
In addition, the documents note that he’s “hostile and manipulative.”
An anger management program was recommended by the judge. In addition, he was asked to abstain from the use of drugs — including steroids — and his future relationships were to be strictly monitored.
Stacey Burns, who married Doucette in 1998, told the Herald she had to get a restraining order against him in 2003 after being subject to beatings and other abuse.
“Just after we got married, the violence, the fighting (started),” said Burns, who has two sons with Doucette, She now looks back with regret. “I had known him for years. I was very stupid, I’ll admit that. I look back and my family just shakes their head at me,” she said. “Everything about him was very charming. My whole family absolutely adored him.” Then, the abuse started. “He would get so irate that he would bang his head off the floor. He monitored what we ate, what we did,” she said. “He would start having lots of affairs. And then the abuse, the hitting, the battering.
“We reconciled . . . a thousand times before I finally got the (restraining) order against him,” she said, noting she was living in fear of her husband
(Richard Doucette) would get so irate that he would bang his head off the floor. He monitored what we ate, what we did
STACEY BURN
before he moved to Alberta. “I don’t have to be scared anymore.”
But court documents show Doucette continued to abuse other women he became involved with.
Doucette was convicted of assault for attacks on the same partner — two in September 2004 and a third in December 2005.
The woman had obtained a civil restraining order against Doucette following the first assault, which earned him a six-month jail sentence.
The 2005 assault was resolved by Doucette pleading guilty and entering into a one-year peace bond banning him from contact with the victim.
Experts say it’s a common scenario with women who become victims of domestic violence.
Some people get involved with partners who have a violent past believing they can change them, said Andrea Silverstone, executive director of Peer Support Services for Abused Women.
“Hope springs eternal. We believe the person we fall in love with is the person of our dreams,” Silverstone said, not speaking specifically about the case. “And perpetrators are often very charming and explain past behaviours, such as, ‘My partner was crazy’ or ‘I went to counselling and got better.’ ”
When women start becoming victims of abuse in a relationship, it’s not always easy for them to leave, she said.
“There’s hope and love for the individual, financial fears, fearing they’ll become homeless or povertystricken, or there might be the belief that any father is better than no father at all.”
Doucette was also convicted of extortion against a male victim in 2006 and received a 90-day sentence to be served on weekends.
Court documents stated Doucette threatened the victim in an attempt to extract $2,200 from him, though the circumstances were unclear.
The provincial court judge also sentenced Doucette to one-year probation and imposed a lifetime weapons ban.