Here are details of Hampton police calls to couple's home before attempted murder, suicide

HAMPTON — It took 11 weeks for a years-long romantic relationship to corrode into one that ended at 5 p.m., Nov. 15 on a street in Salem, Massachusetts with gunfire, a man dead and a Hampton woman fighting for her life.

Shot in the head outside her place of employment in Massachusetts, the 33-year-old Hampton woman remained in a Boston hospital Friday. Dead at the scene from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head was her alleged assailant, Richard Lorman, 55, previously of Hampton and recently of Wilton, New Hampshire.

According to Hampton District Court and town Police Department documents obtained by Seacoastonline, the two had lived together for years at the woman’s Island Path home. But a contentious break-up in September led police to have several interactions with the couple.

Previous story: Hampton woman shot in attempted murder-suicide had warned 'he will resort to violence'

The woman received a temporary 30-day restraining order against Lorman on Tuesday, Sept. 21, issued at the 10th Circuit Court in Hampton, where she claimed Lorman sexually and physically abused her.

A permanent order, however, was denied nearly a month later on Oct. 20 by Judge Polly Hall.

Hampton police called to Island Path home

Hampton police had contact with the couple prior to the restraining order being filed. No arrests of the woman or Lorman are recorded.

For law enforcement, contact with the couple began on Sept. 6 (Labor Day) when Lorman called the Hampton Police Department claiming he feared the ex-girlfriend he lived with in an Island Path home.

“Caller requested a police officer to respond to his home,” the Hampton dispatcher noted at 12:42 p.m. in the Sept. 6 police log. “He and his girlfriend just broke up, and he stated that she is ‘acting crazy.’”

Lorman reported to police the woman was not home but had been “physically violent toward him in the past and is unsure if she will become violent today.” He also stated, “that he owns a firearm, and is concerned about her using it if she shows up.”

By 1 p.m., Hampton police officer John Tommasi responded to the Island Path address and spoke with Lorman, who said his girlfriend “is not acting normal.”

“He stated that she may be coming home from Salem, (Massachusetts) and is concerned that she may be violent when she arrives," Tommasi wrote. "Lorman also advised me that he has guns in the house that are locked and his brother is coming down from Wilton, N.H. to get them at the time of this writing.”

Tommasi, according to his report, advised Lorman to “video everything and call us” if there is an issue.

At 5:31 p.m. on Sept. 15, according to the Hampton police log, the woman visited the Hampton police station with a friend, telling the dispatcher she wanted to report “past tense domestic violence.” According to the log, she said, “her ex-boyfriend refuses to leave her home and she is too scared to go back.”

According to a report filed by officer Stephen Champey, the woman told him that she wanted Lorman out of her home. The woman told police that Lorman was "very controlling" and "will not let her talk to anyone and see anyone outside of work."

Hampton Police Deputy Chief Alex Reno said there were “no criminal matters reported during the interview with our officers or allegations of assault.”

“While she expressed some concern in regard to her relationship, the main concern expressed was removing him from the residence for non-payment of rent and it was determined to be more appropriately classified as a landlord-tenant matter,” Reno said. “It was recommended that she go to the court to explore civil proceedings as they related to the eviction process.”

However, at 6:22 p.m. the same day, according to the police log, the woman’s friend called the police station requesting an officer.

“Friend called stating that they went to the home and the ex-boyfriend was there,” the dispatcher noted in the log. “They are scared and requested Sgt. Champey to respond.”

At 6:31 p.m., the log entry states “the male party is leaving voluntarily.”

Reno said during the subsequent response to the Island Path residence, Lorman voluntarily handed the keys to the woman and left.

“The reporting party stated that she was satisfied with the outcome,” Reno said. “During this interaction there were no further complaints or allegations of criminal conduct.”

The only other contact police had with Lorman was when he was asked to come down to the station on Sept. 21, where he was served with the temporary restraining order.

“Mr. Lorman stated that he no longer owned any firearms and relinquished his pistol/revolver license,” Hampton police Sgt. Joe Jones wrote in his report. “He stated he understood the order and was told when he needed to show up in court.”

Woman files for restraining order

According to court documents, the woman applied for and received a temporary 30-day restraining order against Lorman on Tuesday. Sept. 21, issued at the 10th Circuit Court in Hampton.

In her petition, the woman alleged Lorman sexually and physically abused her and that the "sexually violent behavior had gone on for years." She wrote about an incident over Labor Day, (Sept. 6) in which Lorman allegedly verbally attacked her for renting a room away from Hampton in Massachusetts.

"Richard yelled profanities... He continued screaming, 'I'm going to (expletive) up your whole life. Everything you hold dear, I will (expletive) it up.'"

She claimed Lorman stole items from her home, including her “mental health medications,” talked about "previous acts of violence in his past related to criminal organizations,” and that in an attempt at intimidation, Lorman “reorganized his guns in front of” her.

The woman stated she was concerned Lorman "will resort to violence in this revengeful mindset where he has lost control." The woman added that Lorman “previously attempted suicide... demonstrating an attitude of ‘nothing to lose’ with a disregard for consequences.”

Permanent restraining order denied by judge

In accordance with New Hampshire legal procedure, a restraining order is a civil order not a criminal order, according to Reno, a former police prosecutor.

Before a permanent restraining order can be issued, a court hearing must take place, he said, when both parties have a chance to present their sides of the issue to the judge.

According to court documents, the hearing for the woman’s permanent order of protection against Lorman was scheduled for Oct. 20. She appeared, but Lorman did not.

Hampton’s 10th Circuit Court Justice Polly Hall denied issuing the final restraining order, according to court documents, citing the woman was not abused as defined in New Hampshire statute RSA 173-B (Protection of Persons from Domestic Violence). The statute defines abuse as someone who commits one of the following crimes: Assault, criminal threatening, sexual assault, criminal restraint, destruction of property, criminal trespass, harassment or cruelty to animals.

Hall wrote on the evidence presented at the Oct. 20 hearing, "the court cannot find the Defendant's conduct constitutes a credible present threat to Plaintiff's safety."

On Oct. 20, Hampton patrolman Jay Pappalardo went to the Island Path home and attempted to give Lorman legal notice the protection order was dismissed. According to Reno, the notice wasn’t served because Lorman was no longer at the Island Path address.

Reno said Hampton police had no other dealings with the couple, either before or after this last entry in the log.

No further details were in the court documents. Seacoastonline asked the court for copies of transcripts of the hearing. The court's transcription service claims it needs 14 days to comply with the request.

NH Supreme Court orders review of case

No matter the evidence the court transcripts may provide on the hearing, the fact remains Lorman appeared outside the woman’s place of employment just three weeks after the permanent restraining order was denied and proceeded to shoot the woman who requested protection, then committed suicide by turning the gun on himself.

N.H. Supreme Court Chief Justice Gordon J. MacDonald ordered an internal review of the judge’s decision to deny the woman’s domestic violence petition.

The New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence called for the review to ensure that judges are following all the laws and protocols.

"In this case, the victim alleged multiple felonies, and we are stunned and distressed that the court would deny a petition that involved so many serious crimes," said Lyn Schollett, executive director of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.

The review of the case is being led by Circuit Court Judge Susan B. Carbon, a recognized expert on domestic violence and a former director of the Office on Violence Against Women at the U.S. Department of Justice, according to a press release issued by the New Hampshire Judicial Branch.

According to MacDonald, the internal review should be completed by next week and will be made public after a presentation to the Supreme Court.

Further, the state’s Judicial Branch is instituting “a multidisciplinary task force to conduct a systemic review of domestic violence cases in the court system,” with Supreme Court Associate Justice Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi as chairwoman. The task force is expected to include representatives from the Judicial Branch, domestic violence stakeholders, law enforcement, prosecutors, defense counsel, and others, as well as assistance from national court consultants, with expertise in domestic and sexual violence.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: What Hampton NH police records show before attempted murder, suicide