Twenty-Three Years Later
© Copyright 2010 by Mark Swett
Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he? … from Frank Capra’s film“It’s A Wonderful Life.”
If you take the above quote and make it gender neutral it can apply to any loved one and certainly to Alice Hawkes.
Had she lived the memories of the past would just be something that she and her friends could laugh at and reminisce about whenever they crossed paths. Instead they are just reminders of a sweet girl who lived, “whose life taken away,” and about someone who left her mark on them forever. The memories are bitter sweet.
The person who took Alice’s life has affected others too. A moment of rage or jealousy not only took the life of an innocent person, it nearly destroyed a family and also disrupted the lives of countless friends who are reminded especially at this time of year of the loss that they feel.
Alice’s friends have gone on with life. Some continued with their studies and graduated from college. Others opted out and jumped right into the work force. Regardless of where they are today and what they are doing there are moments when the present fades into the past. Husbands, wives, children, and job responsibilities are set-aside for a brief moment to remember Alice and ask why.
In preparation for this website update I reached out Lt. Brian McDonough the spokesman for the Maine State Police. It was for the purpose of updating his public comments about the case from 2009. Although I expected any comments to be general and repetitive I did think it was important to have something on record for 2010. He opted not to respond. It may be that any comments offered publicly are only channeled through a legitimate news organization.
It has been twenty-three years - 8,400 days - since Alice Hawkes was murdered. By anyone’s standards it has been a long time. But for family and friends it was yesterday. They have to live everyday with her murder and also the fact that the person who killed her is still a free man. A fact that is both unacceptable and frustrating.
The original Law enforcement authorities - the Westbrook Police Department and the Maine State police detectives who worked the case - are also troubled. It was not easy for them to see the case go cold. As Maine State Police Detective Steve Holt said in 1995, “We’ve done everything we can do legally to get this resolved.”
Perhaps by luck Alice’s murderer was able to avoid arrest and prosecution. That is not to say that he experienced a sigh of relief. If there is any slight consolation it is that he can never be sure if the next knock on his door will be from Maine State Police detectives to take him into custody. It must be a terrible way to live - at least for a man who has a conscience.
The Alice Hawkes web site went on line in March of 2009. Twenty-three years ago the technology was not in place to allow such an undertaking. Alice cannot speak for herself, but her website does thanks to the many people who have been willing to step up to the plate and assist with the work. Without them - and especially Alice’s family - it would not exist.
The Internet is replete with web sites documenting victims of unsolved homicides - terrible tragedies. They are young and old, male and female as well as children. It is the kind of material that can keep you up at night questioning what kind of world we live in and how someone could commit such horrific crimes. There are a lot of questions, but no satisfactory answers.
One of the things that have remained consistent over the years is the lack of information about the case coming from the Maine State Police. With the exception of a few statements to the media in 2009 the cone of silence has remained intact. For the family that is extremely frustrating. For the integrity of the investigation it is a necessity. Two sides of the tragedy - each wanting a resolution - with no bridge in between.
Some things have changed dramatically since 1987 and one is “reality TV.” Switch to cable channels and you can follow homicide investigations from beginning to end. One of the most popular is “48 Hours.” It is recorded in real time. You can follow an investigation from the crime to an arrest. Murder scenes, weapons, witnesses and potential suspects are shown and named. In some instances the cases are not resolved. In others they are, but you are left hanging - not knowing the outcome of the trial. Although shows like that make interesting viewing it is a fair question to ask - “what does they say about case integrity?” On the part of some within law enforcement there appears to be a disconnect with standard protocol about case evidence. The Maine State Police has maintained the course and - as difficult it is for the family - their action is the correct one.
After interviewing many of Alice’s friends and co-workers it is clear that they all have their special memories of her before the events that took her life, but they always come back to what happened to her and their reaction to it. It is something that they still think about to this day.
The law enforcement authorities that were on scene at the time do not have the benefit of pleasant memories about Alice. Instead they are left with images of a brutal crime. It is their job to see things like that, but it does not make it easy for them. On one level or another everyone is affected.
For twenty-three years former Westbrook Police Officer Mike Sanphy refused to talk about the Alice Hawkes homicide. I was pleased when he responded favorably to my request for an interview. And so on Saturday, May 15, 2010 we sat together at a table inside of the Westbrook Historical Society.
Throughout the forty-five minute interview Sanphy recounted some of his experiences as a police officer. Some of the things that he had witnessed would be enough to keep a person awake at night. Others would bring you to tears. When we started speaking about Alice’s death - and even before I had asked the first question - he said, “(I) Saw lot of dead people - murders, suicides, but this was worst. I’ll never forget it.” He told me his story.
With the absence of Westbrook Police Chief Ron Allanach Officer Mike Sanphy was overseeing the department personnel for schedules and shift changes. He was notified of a call for the Rescue Unit to go to 8 Spring St. to assist “a woman having trouble breathing.” He arrived at the scene within several minutes. He had not even had the chance to get out of his patrol car when Virginia “Ginny” Willoughby, a member of the Rescue Unit, approached it. He rolled the window down. “You may want to look at this,” she said.
Sanphy made his way up the flight of stairs. There were pieces of the apartment door on the staircase as well as inside the apartment hallway. Detective Peter Murray was already inside. In a short amount of time more Westbrook Police officers would arrive.
Sanphy did a quick assessment of the scene. He saw a large circle of blood in the center of the living room rug. He glanced to his right and saw Detective Murray standing in the bathroom doorway. He approached him and looked inside. He saw a woman who was fully clothed and lying on the bathroom floor with her back to the living room. She was curled up in a fetal position with her hands up to the front of her chest area “as if in prayer.” He stepped into the area to get a better look at her taking care to not step in the blood that surrounded the body. Because of the position of the body Sanphy was unable to see the extent of her wounds, but what he saw was bad enough. He shook his head and walked back into the living room. He spoke to Detective Murray, “I’ll be back.”
As soon as the Maine State Police arrived it was clear who was in charge of the investigation. They had studied the victim, walked through the apartment and huddled together on one side of the living room - speaking quietly.
When Medical Examiner Dr. Ronald Roy arrived it was time to “roll her.” Those present were “horrified” by what they saw. Up until that moment Alice’s wounds were not clearly visible. Some had initially thought that she had suffered wounds to the chest area. As soon as she was turned over the nature of her injuries became clear.
Dr. Roy completed his preliminary examination of Alice and officially pronounced her dead. He would have to perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
By the time that Officer Sanphy had returned to the apartment there were multiple conversations going on. He heard someone say, “She’s has been gone for a while.” Scanning the room he saw Dr. Roy sitting on Alice’s couch “mumbling to himself.” He walked over to him and saw that he was holding something and reading out loud. It was Alice’s diary. The official cause of death would be determined by an autopsy, but it was also important to build into that the last thoughts of the victim - things that may have been bothering her - her private and innermost thoughts.
Robert (Bob as he was called) Blais walked into Alice’s apartment. He was the owner of the Blais Funeral Home in Westbrook. He had started the business in 1953. At the time there were other funeral homes in Westbrook, but Blais was the big dog on the block. After more than thirty years in business there was a saying that people joked about that “Bob Blais has buried nearly everyone in Westbrook.” Whether that is factual or not, what cannot be disputed is that Bob had seen it all over the years - from deaths at old age to some terrible tragedies - suicides, homicides, terrible car accidents and even the death of children. No matter what his experiences were things like Alice’s death was still disturbing. On October 4, 1987 it was his job to remove Alice’s body from the apartment and transport it to the Medical Examiner’s office in Augusta.
For whatever reason - on this Sunday afternoon - Bob Blais had come to the scene alone. He knew that there would be someone there who could assist him. Officer Mike Sanphy offered to help him to remove Alice’s body. The body bag was placed on floor on the living room rug next to the bathroom door. Both men walked inside and bent down close to her.
Alice’s body had been turned over so that the Medical Examiner could have a view of her wounds. Sanphy’s first view of Alice, a few hours before, had been somewhat restricted because of the way her body was positioned. Now - for the first time - he saw it all.
There is an unspoken rule when dealing with the dead. They are given the same respect and treatment as they would in life. It is a somber moment and
professionalism kicks in. The hushed conversations are usually limited to only what is required to co-ordinate the removal of the victim.
It was Bob Blais who broke the silence after looking at Alice. “Jesus! He did a number on her.” It was something out of character for him to say. Sanphy did not respond. His mind had already taken a snapshot of Alice. What he saw bothered him. It bothered him a lot. It still does today.
It was time for Alice to leave her apartment for the last time. Her journey from Bangor to the University of Maine campus at Gorham, to an apartment in Portland and finally to 8 Spring Street in Westbrook was over. Her job responsibilities at the Maine Savings Bank had ended. The final road would take her to Augusta for an autopsy and after that back home to Bangor and finally burial in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery.
The “gawkers” were already positioned outside the apartment on Spring Street. Cars slowed down to catch a glimpse of what was happening. The people on the sidewalks were asking questions - “What happened? - Who died?” The rumors started circulating quickly - “suicide, drug overdose - or even murder.”
The conversations stopped as soon as the body bag came into view in the outside door of the apartment building. It was carried down the porch stairs and placed in the back of the black hearse. Bob Blais positioned himself behind the wheel, started the engine and drove away. Alice was going home. The case was just beginning.
I was sitting across the table from now retired Police Officer Mike Sanphy. He had just finished describing Alice’s wounds to me in detail. I asked him what bothered him the most about what happened. His response was quick and right to the point. “ I can’t believe that the son-of-a-bitch who did it can live with himself and still be walking around. What could make someone so angry to do something like that? I don’t believe in closure. I would be satisfied with an arrest even if the person was acquitted. Just put him through the legal process - disrupt his life - after what he did to her.”
As bad as Alice’s wounds were they are not what bothers Sanphy to this day. It is what he saw as he was helping to remove her body. Even the brutality of her attack could not take away from the fact that she was “such a beautiful girl.” But what he cannot forget is the gold chain that Alice was wearing around her neck. Out of everything that he had witnessed that day and what had been done to her it is the memory of that chain that was burned into his mind. He often thinks about it.
Virginia “Ginny” Willoughby was instrumental in helping to establish the Westbrook Rescue Unit. She enjoyed her work and especially serving the needs of the community. Sometimes the hours were long and the weather conditions that required a quick response and transport to local hospitals were hazardous. But at the end of the day there was a sense of accomplishment. It was a good job and an important one.
On Sunday October 4, 1987 Ginny and two associates responded to a call at 8 Spring Street. It was a quick trip from headquarters to the location taking just a few minutes. As the Rescue Unit approached the corner of Main and Spring Street she saw two people standing on the corner waiting for them to arrive probably to help with directions into the building. She learned later that one of the men was Bob Margiloff the landlord of the building. The other was the boyfriend of the victim.
They had difficulty getting into the apartment. Once inside and the victim was looked at Ginny knew that is was not a rescue call. There was nothing that they could do.
Ginny is now retired and elderly, but she still has some strong thoughts about the events. She admits that with the passage of time some things have been forgotten and other things she does not want to think about. To this day when she passes Alice’s apartment she does not like looking at it. “I look the other way,” she said.
I asked Ginny what bothers her the most about Alice’s murder. Her previous soft-spoken voice took on an aggressive tone - “Why couldn’t they arrest him!”
The other thing that bothers her was based upon what she had learned about the events later. She became aware that Alice’s boyfriend had said that he was locked out of the apartment on Saturday and also the next day. After he was able to get back in with the landlord’s key he saw what had happened to her and he chose to leave the apartment that he had tried so hard to get into. He stood on the street corner waiting for the Rescue Unit to arrive.
Ginny was a professional and also a mother. She saw Alice on the bathroom floor and it broke her heart. Speaking about Alice’s boyfriend she became angry again, “How could he leave her alone like that? He should have stayed with her until we got there.”
Sgt. Kirk Malloy served as a Westbrook Police Officer, Evidence Technician, Detective and Patrol Sergeant before retiring in 1999. I was aware of his work on the Alice Hawkes case since 2008. His name and contact information was in my notebook. I was waiting for the right moment to speak with him. I had bumped into him a year ago in a public format, but decided not to broach the subject at that time. On Friday, June 11, 2010 I made a notation in my notebook - “Call Kirk M on Wed 061710 re: AH.”
On June 15, 2010 I turned to the obituary section of the Portland Press Herald. I quickly scrolled the names and one jumped out at me - Kirk Malloy. He had passd away Saturday evening June 12th. I had missed the opportunity to interview him. He left behind a family, wife, children and a track record of serving the citizens of Westbrook. He was fifty-five years old.
Sgt. Peter Murray retired from the Westbrook Police Force in 1993 after twenty-three years of service. He wrote an article about his experience as a police officer and touched upon the Alice Hawkes case.
“Nearly twenty-three years have passed, I am a grandfather. There are years of my children’s lives that I cannot remember. But I shall never forget Alice. We found Alice on a quiet Sunday morning. She was smeared with dried blood, her body rigid and cold. It was not the gruesome murder scene that unraveled me. No, I had seen my share of death. It was the diary, the pictures of her smiling 23-year old freckled face, the fragments of her life that I had no business poring over, except in the hope of catching her killer that made Alice real to me. Her killer still walks among us, and I still fall asleep with Alice on my mind.”
Alice’s friends also have some thoughts.
Carl (name changed) started working as a part-time teller at the Maine Savings Bank branch located in the Mill Creek Shopping Center in South Portland, Maine. It was the Fall of 1985. He was hired to take the place of Alice Hawkes who had accepted a full time position. Alice was the one who trained him and right from the beginning they hit it off together. It also helped that they were the same age. By coincidence, Alice also knew Carl’s brother having met him previously on a Casco Bay boat cruise. He recalls that “she was friendly, outgoing and personable” while at the same time “professional.” That’s one thing I will always remember about her, “She was very positive. She didn’t say bad things about people.”
A lot of the workforce at the bank were around the same age. They made it a point to try and go out together a couple of times a week. It mostly fell on a Friday evenings because they usually had to work late that day. Sometimes it was bowling or out to the Old Port in Portland for Happy Hour and a few laughs.
Alice could be a follower, but she was also a leader. She was the one who came up with the idea that everyone in the office should dress up for Halloween. It was an idea that everyone gladly accepted. Carl came as a bum. Alice chose to be an indian.
In early 1987 Alice was promoted and transferred to a different branch of the bank located by the Maine Mall. Once in while she would go over to South Portand for a meeting and see her old friends. Although they didn’t see each other as often they still tried to get together for a night out. They were a close group.
On Monday morning, October 5, 1987, Carl arrived at work and as usual knocked on the door to be let in. It was the Assistant Manager who unlocked it for him. She was not smiling. “Come here. I have something to tell you.” Carl remembers thinking, “Oh God. I hope I’m not going to loose my job or something.” It was then that he heard what had happened to Alice. “It was a terrible day and the next few days also were pretty rough.”
The rumors in the bank began right away and increased during the day that Alice’s death was suspicious, foul play. In a few days, after the Medical Examiner released the results of the autopsy, they would know for sure.
Carl’s thoughts today are the same that they were when he first heard the terrible news. “Who would have thought that anyone would hurt Alice? She was just one of those people that you just never thought that anyone would have any reason.”
Carl is angry and frustrated too. “I can’t believe with the advancements that we have made - there’s gotta be something. I just can’t imagine that this guy is smart enough to have pulled this off and gotten away with. I think that’s one of the biggest things that drives me nuts about this whole thing - is that this person is getting away with it. I think it’s just pure luck. That’s what frustrates me.”
In 1987 Carl was interviewed by the Maine State Police. He remembers the detective telling him, “We’ve got evidence. It’s just that one little piece - one thing that will tie it all together.” “They’re gonna get this guy” he thought. All they need is that one little piece.” Today he adds, “But it didn’t happen. Hopefully this time they will get it and him.”
Carl didn’t go to Alice’s funeral because only so many people could leave the bank, but all had wanted to go. Even after all of the years that have passed he still has not gone to her grave in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, but he says that, “Someday I will.”
Donna (name changed) was not only a co-worker with Alice at the Maine Savings Bank she had also became a close friend. It was easy to do. Alice was very outgoing, light hearted and bubbly. Everyone liked her and she was fun to be with. She and Theresa (name changed), another friend from work, had made plans with Alice for the weekend that she was killed. The plans were definite, but what they would be doing was tentative. On the table was a choice between apple picking, or going to the Cumberland Fair. If it didn’t happen Saturday it would definitely be on Sunday. The one sure thing was that Alice would be driving and that they would all go together in her car.
Saturday came and went without a word from Alice. Sunday was the same thing. Donna had made two or three phone calls to her that weekend, but no one answered the phone. She would have to wait to contact her at work on Monday to see what happened.
With the weekend over and the plans that had fallen through Monday morning had come to fast. Since only a few employees had keys to the bank Donna knocked at the door and waited. She was let in by one of the Customer Service Representatives, but instead of being greeted with a smile and the customary “Good Morning” she saw someone before her whose face was expressionless and as white as a sheet. She heard three words - “Alice is gone.”
Donna does not recall if she said it out loud or thought it, but she does recall the words. “Well - where did she go? I couldn’t get a hold of her all weekend. Maybe she took an unexpected trip or something?”
She walked into the building and saw people who were devastated and crying. “It took a good ten to fifteen minutes to have it sink in. I just couldn’t connect what had happened because I had been calling her and while the phone’s ringing she is probably dead on the floor. That struck me pretty deeply.”
Donna was surprised at the time the Maine State Police didn’t contact her. She knew that they had spoken with Theresa, but still she was a part of the weekend plans too and had tried to reach Alice by phone.
After Alice’s website went on line in March of 2009 - and with the media attention about the new case status - Donna bumped into a former co-worker from the bank while grocery shopping. She also knew Alice and had worked with her. She asked her if she had heard the news and had seen the website. Her friend told her that she had read the newspaper articles and also saw the story on WCSH TV, but she said that she had not seen the website and would not look at it. She was still bothered about what happened. It was just “too much for her.”
Alice’s sister, Rosemary, has fond memories about the last time that they were together. It was just a week before Alice’s death. Alice had driven up to Bangor on Friday to celebrate her mother’s birthday the next day. She was going to spend two nights at her house, but decide to stay an extra night. The only request that she had was for her mother to make a home made vegetable beef soup and an apple pie. Frances, Alice’s mother, was more than happy to do it.
Alice was happy to be with her family again, but she was more excited to have her mother open her gift right away. Even though her birthday was the next day Frances was finally persuaded. She unwrapped it and found a beautiful soup tureen inside. They sat down and enjoyed a wonderful supper together.
On Saturday morning Alice phoned Rosemary to say hello. They had a great time chatting and spoke about how much they were looking forward to seeing each other and also the birthday party later that evening. Alice and her mother spent the rest of the day together talking, laughing and shopping in Bangor.
On Sunday, September 27, 1987 Alice, Rosemary and Frances along with the family dog Stasha went to their camp that was located off Lake Pushaw at Lakeside Landing in Glenburn, Maine. It was a place of retreat for them as well as for other members of the family. They had a wonderful time recalling all of the memories they had of spending time there over the years. A lot of their conversation was about Alice’s father, James, who had died suddenly a year before. The family had experienced a tough 1986 holiday season with his loss, but had rallied around Frances now the matriarch of the family. As tough as it was they worked through the event together. Life had to go on.
The day went by fast and the time came for goodbyes to be exchanged. There was nothing foreboding about it. The holidays were approaching and they knew that they would be together again soon. What they could not imagine was that this would be the their last time together. Seven days later Alice’s family received a phone call and was told that she was dead.
Although the Maine State Police kept case information quiet they did offer the family a personal article that Alice was wearing at the time of her death - her watch. It was not considered case evidence and it was the right thing to do. The family accepted it and Frances continued to wear it throughout the years.
After her daughter’s murder Frances never made another vegetable beef soup, or apple pie again. The soup tureen that was Alice’s last gift to her was kept on display until the day that she died. Alice’s sister, Rosemary, is now carrying on that tradition. The watch that Frances wore in remembrance of Alice was buried with her after her death in September 2009.
Rosemary and her family are haunted about what happened to Alice. If the only knowledge that they had were of her final moments of life it would be enough to destroy them. Thankfully they have countless memories of another time and place when they were all together and life was good. Memories do not take away the hurt and pain, but at least they can help to balance things out. What the family wants - what justice requires - is for an arrest to be made - an arrest, a trial and a conviction. They will settle for nothing less because as Rosemary says, “We’re not going away.”
I recently contacted former Westbrook Detective Peter Murray about the twenty-third anniversary of Alice’s murder. He was the first law enforcement person on the scene and I thought it appropriate to invite him to share a few thoughts for the website. I am very pleased that he accepted and sent the following.
The morning of October 4, 1987 was crystal clear with a chill in the air that conjures up bushels of freshly picked apples, and a pumpkin pie cooling in the pantry. I had nothing more pressing on my morning patrol than checking on Polly Carmichael’s runaway sheep.
Perhaps that day would have blended homogenously into other unremarkable ones spent in my twenty-three years of patrolling in a police car had it not been for the call for an ambulance at 8 Spring St. Westbrook.
That beautiful Sunday morning of tranquility morphed quickly into morning of horror. Alice Hawkes, a twenty-three year old woman lie dead on her bathroom floor.
It is my fervent hope that the details of her death will be revealed at trial, a hope that diminishes as the years pass. I will not divulge them here except to say she did not die peacefully. She struggled for her life.
I have relived that murder scene over and over again. Twenty-three years later I still see it vividly with all its detail…all of its questions. What I cannot square in my mind is what I saw when compared to a photograph of Alice as part of wedding party. She was beautiful, radiant, smiling, full of life.
The “Researcher” has done an admirable job of laying out the facts of the case. I can neither add nor detract from what he has written. All that I know is since that time I have seen my children graduate and grow, grandchildren have arrived. I have traveled and moved on to another career ……all of which has been denied to Alice by one unspeakably selfish act of violence.
While I could never bring Alice back or fill the emptiness of her mother’s heart, I had hoped that I might one day call Frances with the news that her daughter’s killer was in custody. I was to be denied that as well. Mrs. Hawkes passed away without that solace.
Over the years I have made a less than scholarly study of the Bible trying to decide if evidence of an eternity in our fleshly bodies is the plan of the creator. Whether it be by flesh or spirit I pray that the souls of mother and daughter are reunited… and perhaps, just perhaps I might one day know it of a certainty. Of this I am confident:
Justice will be meted out in this world or the next.
After twenty-three years - for many people outside of law enforcement - it is not a question of who took Alice’s life, or even how it was done. They believe that they know. And although the question of why it happened begs for an answer, the real question is how could the person who committed such a horrible crime escape arrest, trial and conviction after all of this time.
There is no such thing as a perfect crime. Something is always left behind. Mistakes are made. In some cases they may not be strong enough for a prosecutor to bring the case to trial with a reasonable certainty of conviction. In others it is just one little piece of evidence that is needed to pull it all together. Setting aside the remote possibility of a confession, or someone coming forward with knowledge about what happened, it is understandable to see how a case could become dormant. That was the situation in 1987. That was then. This is now.
Detective William Ross of the Maine State Police is the lead detective in the Alice Hawkes case. In 2008, twenty-one years after Alice’s murder, it became his responsibility to review all of the case files that included the original case notes, crime scene photographs as well as the autopsy report and photographs. Interviews with various people that were originally recorded on tape were now in digital format on CD. To go over all of the files was a time consuming process. In the end an assessment had to be made whether or not to go to the next level.
A formal case presentation is required before a cold case can take on new life. We are not talking about jumping into something just because it is the right thing to do. There are various factors involved that have to be weighed including - but not limited to - manpower, budgets and the potential for a positive outcome to the investigation.
In January 2009 officials of the Maine State Police, The Maine Medical Examiner’s Office as well as the Maine Attorney General’s Office heard the presentation. It was their decision to go forward with the investigation.
Time is our enemy. We can take classes to learn how to manage it better it so that we can be more productive in our jobs and in our personal lives, but eventually time catches up with all of us and there is no more left. For Alice time did not run the course as she expected. Instead she was robbed of the most precious gift that one could ever receive - the chance to live and experience life to the fullest - to fail or succeed - to make the most of what she had and could develop - to see how far she could go.
The person who killed Alice Hawkes does not have time on his side. We believe that his days of freedom are numbered. We continue to pray and believe that will be the outcome and that Justice Will Be Done.
© Copyright 2010 by Mark Swett
Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he? … from Frank Capra’s film“It’s A Wonderful Life.”
If you take the above quote and make it gender neutral it can apply to any loved one and certainly to Alice Hawkes.
Had she lived the memories of the past would just be something that she and her friends could laugh at and reminisce about whenever they crossed paths. Instead they are just reminders of a sweet girl who lived, “whose life taken away,” and about someone who left her mark on them forever. The memories are bitter sweet.
The person who took Alice’s life has affected others too. A moment of rage or jealousy not only took the life of an innocent person, it nearly destroyed a family and also disrupted the lives of countless friends who are reminded especially at this time of year of the loss that they feel.
Alice’s friends have gone on with life. Some continued with their studies and graduated from college. Others opted out and jumped right into the work force. Regardless of where they are today and what they are doing there are moments when the present fades into the past. Husbands, wives, children, and job responsibilities are set-aside for a brief moment to remember Alice and ask why.
In preparation for this website update I reached out Lt. Brian McDonough the spokesman for the Maine State Police. It was for the purpose of updating his public comments about the case from 2009. Although I expected any comments to be general and repetitive I did think it was important to have something on record for 2010. He opted not to respond. It may be that any comments offered publicly are only channeled through a legitimate news organization.
It has been twenty-three years - 8,400 days - since Alice Hawkes was murdered. By anyone’s standards it has been a long time. But for family and friends it was yesterday. They have to live everyday with her murder and also the fact that the person who killed her is still a free man. A fact that is both unacceptable and frustrating.
The original Law enforcement authorities - the Westbrook Police Department and the Maine State police detectives who worked the case - are also troubled. It was not easy for them to see the case go cold. As Maine State Police Detective Steve Holt said in 1995, “We’ve done everything we can do legally to get this resolved.”
Perhaps by luck Alice’s murderer was able to avoid arrest and prosecution. That is not to say that he experienced a sigh of relief. If there is any slight consolation it is that he can never be sure if the next knock on his door will be from Maine State Police detectives to take him into custody. It must be a terrible way to live - at least for a man who has a conscience.
The Alice Hawkes web site went on line in March of 2009. Twenty-three years ago the technology was not in place to allow such an undertaking. Alice cannot speak for herself, but her website does thanks to the many people who have been willing to step up to the plate and assist with the work. Without them - and especially Alice’s family - it would not exist.
The Internet is replete with web sites documenting victims of unsolved homicides - terrible tragedies. They are young and old, male and female as well as children. It is the kind of material that can keep you up at night questioning what kind of world we live in and how someone could commit such horrific crimes. There are a lot of questions, but no satisfactory answers.
One of the things that have remained consistent over the years is the lack of information about the case coming from the Maine State Police. With the exception of a few statements to the media in 2009 the cone of silence has remained intact. For the family that is extremely frustrating. For the integrity of the investigation it is a necessity. Two sides of the tragedy - each wanting a resolution - with no bridge in between.
Some things have changed dramatically since 1987 and one is “reality TV.” Switch to cable channels and you can follow homicide investigations from beginning to end. One of the most popular is “48 Hours.” It is recorded in real time. You can follow an investigation from the crime to an arrest. Murder scenes, weapons, witnesses and potential suspects are shown and named. In some instances the cases are not resolved. In others they are, but you are left hanging - not knowing the outcome of the trial. Although shows like that make interesting viewing it is a fair question to ask - “what does they say about case integrity?” On the part of some within law enforcement there appears to be a disconnect with standard protocol about case evidence. The Maine State Police has maintained the course and - as difficult it is for the family - their action is the correct one.
After interviewing many of Alice’s friends and co-workers it is clear that they all have their special memories of her before the events that took her life, but they always come back to what happened to her and their reaction to it. It is something that they still think about to this day.
The law enforcement authorities that were on scene at the time do not have the benefit of pleasant memories about Alice. Instead they are left with images of a brutal crime. It is their job to see things like that, but it does not make it easy for them. On one level or another everyone is affected.
For twenty-three years former Westbrook Police Officer Mike Sanphy refused to talk about the Alice Hawkes homicide. I was pleased when he responded favorably to my request for an interview. And so on Saturday, May 15, 2010 we sat together at a table inside of the Westbrook Historical Society.
Throughout the forty-five minute interview Sanphy recounted some of his experiences as a police officer. Some of the things that he had witnessed would be enough to keep a person awake at night. Others would bring you to tears. When we started speaking about Alice’s death - and even before I had asked the first question - he said, “(I) Saw lot of dead people - murders, suicides, but this was worst. I’ll never forget it.” He told me his story.
With the absence of Westbrook Police Chief Ron Allanach Officer Mike Sanphy was overseeing the department personnel for schedules and shift changes. He was notified of a call for the Rescue Unit to go to 8 Spring St. to assist “a woman having trouble breathing.” He arrived at the scene within several minutes. He had not even had the chance to get out of his patrol car when Virginia “Ginny” Willoughby, a member of the Rescue Unit, approached it. He rolled the window down. “You may want to look at this,” she said.
Sanphy made his way up the flight of stairs. There were pieces of the apartment door on the staircase as well as inside the apartment hallway. Detective Peter Murray was already inside. In a short amount of time more Westbrook Police officers would arrive.
Sanphy did a quick assessment of the scene. He saw a large circle of blood in the center of the living room rug. He glanced to his right and saw Detective Murray standing in the bathroom doorway. He approached him and looked inside. He saw a woman who was fully clothed and lying on the bathroom floor with her back to the living room. She was curled up in a fetal position with her hands up to the front of her chest area “as if in prayer.” He stepped into the area to get a better look at her taking care to not step in the blood that surrounded the body. Because of the position of the body Sanphy was unable to see the extent of her wounds, but what he saw was bad enough. He shook his head and walked back into the living room. He spoke to Detective Murray, “I’ll be back.”
As soon as the Maine State Police arrived it was clear who was in charge of the investigation. They had studied the victim, walked through the apartment and huddled together on one side of the living room - speaking quietly.
When Medical Examiner Dr. Ronald Roy arrived it was time to “roll her.” Those present were “horrified” by what they saw. Up until that moment Alice’s wounds were not clearly visible. Some had initially thought that she had suffered wounds to the chest area. As soon as she was turned over the nature of her injuries became clear.
Dr. Roy completed his preliminary examination of Alice and officially pronounced her dead. He would have to perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
By the time that Officer Sanphy had returned to the apartment there were multiple conversations going on. He heard someone say, “She’s has been gone for a while.” Scanning the room he saw Dr. Roy sitting on Alice’s couch “mumbling to himself.” He walked over to him and saw that he was holding something and reading out loud. It was Alice’s diary. The official cause of death would be determined by an autopsy, but it was also important to build into that the last thoughts of the victim - things that may have been bothering her - her private and innermost thoughts.
Robert (Bob as he was called) Blais walked into Alice’s apartment. He was the owner of the Blais Funeral Home in Westbrook. He had started the business in 1953. At the time there were other funeral homes in Westbrook, but Blais was the big dog on the block. After more than thirty years in business there was a saying that people joked about that “Bob Blais has buried nearly everyone in Westbrook.” Whether that is factual or not, what cannot be disputed is that Bob had seen it all over the years - from deaths at old age to some terrible tragedies - suicides, homicides, terrible car accidents and even the death of children. No matter what his experiences were things like Alice’s death was still disturbing. On October 4, 1987 it was his job to remove Alice’s body from the apartment and transport it to the Medical Examiner’s office in Augusta.
For whatever reason - on this Sunday afternoon - Bob Blais had come to the scene alone. He knew that there would be someone there who could assist him. Officer Mike Sanphy offered to help him to remove Alice’s body. The body bag was placed on floor on the living room rug next to the bathroom door. Both men walked inside and bent down close to her.
Alice’s body had been turned over so that the Medical Examiner could have a view of her wounds. Sanphy’s first view of Alice, a few hours before, had been somewhat restricted because of the way her body was positioned. Now - for the first time - he saw it all.
There is an unspoken rule when dealing with the dead. They are given the same respect and treatment as they would in life. It is a somber moment and
professionalism kicks in. The hushed conversations are usually limited to only what is required to co-ordinate the removal of the victim.
It was Bob Blais who broke the silence after looking at Alice. “Jesus! He did a number on her.” It was something out of character for him to say. Sanphy did not respond. His mind had already taken a snapshot of Alice. What he saw bothered him. It bothered him a lot. It still does today.
It was time for Alice to leave her apartment for the last time. Her journey from Bangor to the University of Maine campus at Gorham, to an apartment in Portland and finally to 8 Spring Street in Westbrook was over. Her job responsibilities at the Maine Savings Bank had ended. The final road would take her to Augusta for an autopsy and after that back home to Bangor and finally burial in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery.
The “gawkers” were already positioned outside the apartment on Spring Street. Cars slowed down to catch a glimpse of what was happening. The people on the sidewalks were asking questions - “What happened? - Who died?” The rumors started circulating quickly - “suicide, drug overdose - or even murder.”
The conversations stopped as soon as the body bag came into view in the outside door of the apartment building. It was carried down the porch stairs and placed in the back of the black hearse. Bob Blais positioned himself behind the wheel, started the engine and drove away. Alice was going home. The case was just beginning.
I was sitting across the table from now retired Police Officer Mike Sanphy. He had just finished describing Alice’s wounds to me in detail. I asked him what bothered him the most about what happened. His response was quick and right to the point. “ I can’t believe that the son-of-a-bitch who did it can live with himself and still be walking around. What could make someone so angry to do something like that? I don’t believe in closure. I would be satisfied with an arrest even if the person was acquitted. Just put him through the legal process - disrupt his life - after what he did to her.”
As bad as Alice’s wounds were they are not what bothers Sanphy to this day. It is what he saw as he was helping to remove her body. Even the brutality of her attack could not take away from the fact that she was “such a beautiful girl.” But what he cannot forget is the gold chain that Alice was wearing around her neck. Out of everything that he had witnessed that day and what had been done to her it is the memory of that chain that was burned into his mind. He often thinks about it.
Virginia “Ginny” Willoughby was instrumental in helping to establish the Westbrook Rescue Unit. She enjoyed her work and especially serving the needs of the community. Sometimes the hours were long and the weather conditions that required a quick response and transport to local hospitals were hazardous. But at the end of the day there was a sense of accomplishment. It was a good job and an important one.
On Sunday October 4, 1987 Ginny and two associates responded to a call at 8 Spring Street. It was a quick trip from headquarters to the location taking just a few minutes. As the Rescue Unit approached the corner of Main and Spring Street she saw two people standing on the corner waiting for them to arrive probably to help with directions into the building. She learned later that one of the men was Bob Margiloff the landlord of the building. The other was the boyfriend of the victim.
They had difficulty getting into the apartment. Once inside and the victim was looked at Ginny knew that is was not a rescue call. There was nothing that they could do.
Ginny is now retired and elderly, but she still has some strong thoughts about the events. She admits that with the passage of time some things have been forgotten and other things she does not want to think about. To this day when she passes Alice’s apartment she does not like looking at it. “I look the other way,” she said.
I asked Ginny what bothers her the most about Alice’s murder. Her previous soft-spoken voice took on an aggressive tone - “Why couldn’t they arrest him!”
The other thing that bothers her was based upon what she had learned about the events later. She became aware that Alice’s boyfriend had said that he was locked out of the apartment on Saturday and also the next day. After he was able to get back in with the landlord’s key he saw what had happened to her and he chose to leave the apartment that he had tried so hard to get into. He stood on the street corner waiting for the Rescue Unit to arrive.
Ginny was a professional and also a mother. She saw Alice on the bathroom floor and it broke her heart. Speaking about Alice’s boyfriend she became angry again, “How could he leave her alone like that? He should have stayed with her until we got there.”
Sgt. Kirk Malloy served as a Westbrook Police Officer, Evidence Technician, Detective and Patrol Sergeant before retiring in 1999. I was aware of his work on the Alice Hawkes case since 2008. His name and contact information was in my notebook. I was waiting for the right moment to speak with him. I had bumped into him a year ago in a public format, but decided not to broach the subject at that time. On Friday, June 11, 2010 I made a notation in my notebook - “Call Kirk M on Wed 061710 re: AH.”
On June 15, 2010 I turned to the obituary section of the Portland Press Herald. I quickly scrolled the names and one jumped out at me - Kirk Malloy. He had passd away Saturday evening June 12th. I had missed the opportunity to interview him. He left behind a family, wife, children and a track record of serving the citizens of Westbrook. He was fifty-five years old.
Sgt. Peter Murray retired from the Westbrook Police Force in 1993 after twenty-three years of service. He wrote an article about his experience as a police officer and touched upon the Alice Hawkes case.
“Nearly twenty-three years have passed, I am a grandfather. There are years of my children’s lives that I cannot remember. But I shall never forget Alice. We found Alice on a quiet Sunday morning. She was smeared with dried blood, her body rigid and cold. It was not the gruesome murder scene that unraveled me. No, I had seen my share of death. It was the diary, the pictures of her smiling 23-year old freckled face, the fragments of her life that I had no business poring over, except in the hope of catching her killer that made Alice real to me. Her killer still walks among us, and I still fall asleep with Alice on my mind.”
Alice’s friends also have some thoughts.
Carl (name changed) started working as a part-time teller at the Maine Savings Bank branch located in the Mill Creek Shopping Center in South Portland, Maine. It was the Fall of 1985. He was hired to take the place of Alice Hawkes who had accepted a full time position. Alice was the one who trained him and right from the beginning they hit it off together. It also helped that they were the same age. By coincidence, Alice also knew Carl’s brother having met him previously on a Casco Bay boat cruise. He recalls that “she was friendly, outgoing and personable” while at the same time “professional.” That’s one thing I will always remember about her, “She was very positive. She didn’t say bad things about people.”
A lot of the workforce at the bank were around the same age. They made it a point to try and go out together a couple of times a week. It mostly fell on a Friday evenings because they usually had to work late that day. Sometimes it was bowling or out to the Old Port in Portland for Happy Hour and a few laughs.
Alice could be a follower, but she was also a leader. She was the one who came up with the idea that everyone in the office should dress up for Halloween. It was an idea that everyone gladly accepted. Carl came as a bum. Alice chose to be an indian.
In early 1987 Alice was promoted and transferred to a different branch of the bank located by the Maine Mall. Once in while she would go over to South Portand for a meeting and see her old friends. Although they didn’t see each other as often they still tried to get together for a night out. They were a close group.
On Monday morning, October 5, 1987, Carl arrived at work and as usual knocked on the door to be let in. It was the Assistant Manager who unlocked it for him. She was not smiling. “Come here. I have something to tell you.” Carl remembers thinking, “Oh God. I hope I’m not going to loose my job or something.” It was then that he heard what had happened to Alice. “It was a terrible day and the next few days also were pretty rough.”
The rumors in the bank began right away and increased during the day that Alice’s death was suspicious, foul play. In a few days, after the Medical Examiner released the results of the autopsy, they would know for sure.
Carl’s thoughts today are the same that they were when he first heard the terrible news. “Who would have thought that anyone would hurt Alice? She was just one of those people that you just never thought that anyone would have any reason.”
Carl is angry and frustrated too. “I can’t believe with the advancements that we have made - there’s gotta be something. I just can’t imagine that this guy is smart enough to have pulled this off and gotten away with. I think that’s one of the biggest things that drives me nuts about this whole thing - is that this person is getting away with it. I think it’s just pure luck. That’s what frustrates me.”
In 1987 Carl was interviewed by the Maine State Police. He remembers the detective telling him, “We’ve got evidence. It’s just that one little piece - one thing that will tie it all together.” “They’re gonna get this guy” he thought. All they need is that one little piece.” Today he adds, “But it didn’t happen. Hopefully this time they will get it and him.”
Carl didn’t go to Alice’s funeral because only so many people could leave the bank, but all had wanted to go. Even after all of the years that have passed he still has not gone to her grave in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, but he says that, “Someday I will.”
Donna (name changed) was not only a co-worker with Alice at the Maine Savings Bank she had also became a close friend. It was easy to do. Alice was very outgoing, light hearted and bubbly. Everyone liked her and she was fun to be with. She and Theresa (name changed), another friend from work, had made plans with Alice for the weekend that she was killed. The plans were definite, but what they would be doing was tentative. On the table was a choice between apple picking, or going to the Cumberland Fair. If it didn’t happen Saturday it would definitely be on Sunday. The one sure thing was that Alice would be driving and that they would all go together in her car.
Saturday came and went without a word from Alice. Sunday was the same thing. Donna had made two or three phone calls to her that weekend, but no one answered the phone. She would have to wait to contact her at work on Monday to see what happened.
With the weekend over and the plans that had fallen through Monday morning had come to fast. Since only a few employees had keys to the bank Donna knocked at the door and waited. She was let in by one of the Customer Service Representatives, but instead of being greeted with a smile and the customary “Good Morning” she saw someone before her whose face was expressionless and as white as a sheet. She heard three words - “Alice is gone.”
Donna does not recall if she said it out loud or thought it, but she does recall the words. “Well - where did she go? I couldn’t get a hold of her all weekend. Maybe she took an unexpected trip or something?”
She walked into the building and saw people who were devastated and crying. “It took a good ten to fifteen minutes to have it sink in. I just couldn’t connect what had happened because I had been calling her and while the phone’s ringing she is probably dead on the floor. That struck me pretty deeply.”
Donna was surprised at the time the Maine State Police didn’t contact her. She knew that they had spoken with Theresa, but still she was a part of the weekend plans too and had tried to reach Alice by phone.
After Alice’s website went on line in March of 2009 - and with the media attention about the new case status - Donna bumped into a former co-worker from the bank while grocery shopping. She also knew Alice and had worked with her. She asked her if she had heard the news and had seen the website. Her friend told her that she had read the newspaper articles and also saw the story on WCSH TV, but she said that she had not seen the website and would not look at it. She was still bothered about what happened. It was just “too much for her.”
Alice’s sister, Rosemary, has fond memories about the last time that they were together. It was just a week before Alice’s death. Alice had driven up to Bangor on Friday to celebrate her mother’s birthday the next day. She was going to spend two nights at her house, but decide to stay an extra night. The only request that she had was for her mother to make a home made vegetable beef soup and an apple pie. Frances, Alice’s mother, was more than happy to do it.
Alice was happy to be with her family again, but she was more excited to have her mother open her gift right away. Even though her birthday was the next day Frances was finally persuaded. She unwrapped it and found a beautiful soup tureen inside. They sat down and enjoyed a wonderful supper together.
On Saturday morning Alice phoned Rosemary to say hello. They had a great time chatting and spoke about how much they were looking forward to seeing each other and also the birthday party later that evening. Alice and her mother spent the rest of the day together talking, laughing and shopping in Bangor.
On Sunday, September 27, 1987 Alice, Rosemary and Frances along with the family dog Stasha went to their camp that was located off Lake Pushaw at Lakeside Landing in Glenburn, Maine. It was a place of retreat for them as well as for other members of the family. They had a wonderful time recalling all of the memories they had of spending time there over the years. A lot of their conversation was about Alice’s father, James, who had died suddenly a year before. The family had experienced a tough 1986 holiday season with his loss, but had rallied around Frances now the matriarch of the family. As tough as it was they worked through the event together. Life had to go on.
The day went by fast and the time came for goodbyes to be exchanged. There was nothing foreboding about it. The holidays were approaching and they knew that they would be together again soon. What they could not imagine was that this would be the their last time together. Seven days later Alice’s family received a phone call and was told that she was dead.
Although the Maine State Police kept case information quiet they did offer the family a personal article that Alice was wearing at the time of her death - her watch. It was not considered case evidence and it was the right thing to do. The family accepted it and Frances continued to wear it throughout the years.
After her daughter’s murder Frances never made another vegetable beef soup, or apple pie again. The soup tureen that was Alice’s last gift to her was kept on display until the day that she died. Alice’s sister, Rosemary, is now carrying on that tradition. The watch that Frances wore in remembrance of Alice was buried with her after her death in September 2009.
Rosemary and her family are haunted about what happened to Alice. If the only knowledge that they had were of her final moments of life it would be enough to destroy them. Thankfully they have countless memories of another time and place when they were all together and life was good. Memories do not take away the hurt and pain, but at least they can help to balance things out. What the family wants - what justice requires - is for an arrest to be made - an arrest, a trial and a conviction. They will settle for nothing less because as Rosemary says, “We’re not going away.”
I recently contacted former Westbrook Detective Peter Murray about the twenty-third anniversary of Alice’s murder. He was the first law enforcement person on the scene and I thought it appropriate to invite him to share a few thoughts for the website. I am very pleased that he accepted and sent the following.
The morning of October 4, 1987 was crystal clear with a chill in the air that conjures up bushels of freshly picked apples, and a pumpkin pie cooling in the pantry. I had nothing more pressing on my morning patrol than checking on Polly Carmichael’s runaway sheep.
Perhaps that day would have blended homogenously into other unremarkable ones spent in my twenty-three years of patrolling in a police car had it not been for the call for an ambulance at 8 Spring St. Westbrook.
That beautiful Sunday morning of tranquility morphed quickly into morning of horror. Alice Hawkes, a twenty-three year old woman lie dead on her bathroom floor.
It is my fervent hope that the details of her death will be revealed at trial, a hope that diminishes as the years pass. I will not divulge them here except to say she did not die peacefully. She struggled for her life.
I have relived that murder scene over and over again. Twenty-three years later I still see it vividly with all its detail…all of its questions. What I cannot square in my mind is what I saw when compared to a photograph of Alice as part of wedding party. She was beautiful, radiant, smiling, full of life.
The “Researcher” has done an admirable job of laying out the facts of the case. I can neither add nor detract from what he has written. All that I know is since that time I have seen my children graduate and grow, grandchildren have arrived. I have traveled and moved on to another career ……all of which has been denied to Alice by one unspeakably selfish act of violence.
While I could never bring Alice back or fill the emptiness of her mother’s heart, I had hoped that I might one day call Frances with the news that her daughter’s killer was in custody. I was to be denied that as well. Mrs. Hawkes passed away without that solace.
Over the years I have made a less than scholarly study of the Bible trying to decide if evidence of an eternity in our fleshly bodies is the plan of the creator. Whether it be by flesh or spirit I pray that the souls of mother and daughter are reunited… and perhaps, just perhaps I might one day know it of a certainty. Of this I am confident:
Justice will be meted out in this world or the next.
After twenty-three years - for many people outside of law enforcement - it is not a question of who took Alice’s life, or even how it was done. They believe that they know. And although the question of why it happened begs for an answer, the real question is how could the person who committed such a horrible crime escape arrest, trial and conviction after all of this time.
There is no such thing as a perfect crime. Something is always left behind. Mistakes are made. In some cases they may not be strong enough for a prosecutor to bring the case to trial with a reasonable certainty of conviction. In others it is just one little piece of evidence that is needed to pull it all together. Setting aside the remote possibility of a confession, or someone coming forward with knowledge about what happened, it is understandable to see how a case could become dormant. That was the situation in 1987. That was then. This is now.
Detective William Ross of the Maine State Police is the lead detective in the Alice Hawkes case. In 2008, twenty-one years after Alice’s murder, it became his responsibility to review all of the case files that included the original case notes, crime scene photographs as well as the autopsy report and photographs. Interviews with various people that were originally recorded on tape were now in digital format on CD. To go over all of the files was a time consuming process. In the end an assessment had to be made whether or not to go to the next level.
A formal case presentation is required before a cold case can take on new life. We are not talking about jumping into something just because it is the right thing to do. There are various factors involved that have to be weighed including - but not limited to - manpower, budgets and the potential for a positive outcome to the investigation.
In January 2009 officials of the Maine State Police, The Maine Medical Examiner’s Office as well as the Maine Attorney General’s Office heard the presentation. It was their decision to go forward with the investigation.
Time is our enemy. We can take classes to learn how to manage it better it so that we can be more productive in our jobs and in our personal lives, but eventually time catches up with all of us and there is no more left. For Alice time did not run the course as she expected. Instead she was robbed of the most precious gift that one could ever receive - the chance to live and experience life to the fullest - to fail or succeed - to make the most of what she had and could develop - to see how far she could go.
The person who killed Alice Hawkes does not have time on his side. We believe that his days of freedom are numbered. We continue to pray and believe that will be the outcome and that Justice Will Be Done.
Soup Tureen - Alice's gift to her mother on September 25, 1987
