Bar talk leads to discovery of local murder
Published on February 10th, 1999
STONEHAM - Just 72 hours after one murder case was ending in Stoneham (see story below), another was beginning.
On Monday night, what at first seemed to be a simple barroom conversation led to the arrest of an individual for murder.
According to Anson Kaye of the District Attorney's Office, two Boston police officers were flagged down by a patron of a Chinatown bar who told them he had a conversation with another patron. During this chat, the suspect confided in his new friend by describing an altercation he had had with his sometime-roommate earlier that night. The description the man gave, Kaye explained, alerted the confidant and led him to contact Boston police.
Soon after receiving the information, police apprehended Douglas Dukette, 37, and placed him into protective custody. They then called officers at the Stoneham Police Department who traveled to the crime scene at Park Terrace Condominiums. Inside the apartment at 300 Park Terrace Drive, officers found the body of Stoneham resident Richard Comeau, 45.
Comeau had died of an apparent gunshot wound to the head, Lieutenant Gregory O'Keefe of the Stoneham Police Department said.
Dukette was arraigned at 2 pm Tuesday afternoon at the Woburn District Court on one count of first degree murder.
"The Commonwealth's allegation is that someone early (Tuesday) morning shot and killed Richard Comeau," Kaye said on Tuesday afternoon. "He (Dukette) was at a bar in Boston and he made some remarks about injuring his roommate."
According to Dukette's court-appointed attorney, his client had been homeless in December when Comeau allowed him to move into his apartment.
At the time of his arrest, Dukette, who is said to have a history of substance abuse and mental health problems, had in his possession Comeau's wallet and car keys. In a later search of the Chinatown area, police found Comeau's 1980 Volvo and, stashed inside the vehicle, a .357 Magnum believed to have been used in the murder.
When asked if Dukette had given police any statements following his arrest, Kaye said, "Not a word. Not a word left his mouth."
The conversation with the stranger, also a homeless man, inside Bernie's bar in Chinatown, however, was validation enough for the murder charge.
At the arraignment hearing, Assistant District Attorney Gregory White described the conversation between the two.
According to the confidant, Dukette went into some detail describing the incident and telling his new-found friend that he had a gun in his roommate's car outside.
"What, did you kill someone?" the homeless man is said to have asked. Dukette is said to have responded by pulling out Comeau's wallet and asking, "You know anybody that does credit cards?"
A 20-day psychiatric evaluation was ordered by Woburn District Judge Marie Jackson-Thompson. Soon after his arraignment, Dukette was transferred to Bridgewater State Hospital.
A status hearing for the case is scheduled for February 2
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