Suspected Derry murderer worked for state mental hospital
Apr. 12—DERRY — Suspected murderer Manoel Viana, who died at a Boston hospital last week, was a mental health worker at the New Hampshire State Hospital for at least a decade, state records show.
He is listed most recently as an employee who made $46,004 in 2019 and had been on the state payroll since at least 2009, the earliest year for which records are available online. He did not work for the state in 2020, according to the records.
Manoel's responsibilities at the mental health facility and reason for departure are unclear.
Local police and firefighters responded to Manoel's home at 27 Mt. Pleasant St. in Derry on Easter night, April 4. Neighbors reported hearing gunshots before seeing a side of the house engulfed in flames.
The New Hampshire Attorney General's Office announced that Manoel's estranged wife, Lynn Marie Viana, 53, was found inside the home, dead of a gunshot wound. Investigators said "ignitable liquids" were found on or near her body.
According to officials and family members, Lynn Marie was at the house dropping off the former couple's handicapped son, who requires 24-hour care. Officials said the 19-year-old was uninjured Sunday.
Three police officers who rushed into the fire said they first spotted Manoel, 57, unconscious on the kitchen floor. They were able to drag him outside to safety, they said, but fire and smoke prevented them from going back inside for further rescue efforts.
Officials announced late last week that Manoel died in a Boston hospital Thursday night. His cause of death is expected to be determined with an autopsy.
The AG planned to charge him with first-degree murder if he survived.
