Melissa Charbonneau


Jonathan Charbonneau

CONCORD, N.H. — A Manchester woman who was killed by her estranged husband in October assured police two hours before her death that she would not return home without a police escort, according to a report released yesterday by the attorney general’s office.

Melissa Charbonneau, who had her father accompany her instead, was shot to death Oct. 22 by Jonathan Charbonneau, who then killed himself. In a report confirming the murder-suicide, the attorney general’s office describes Melissa Charbonneau’s discussion with police earlier that day about the restraining order she obtained against her husband.

Jonathan Charbonneau, 32, had been released on bail two days earlier after being accused of throwing his wife down the stairs of their house and trying to strangle her. He was ordered to stay away from his wife, but allowed to remain in their home. On the morning she died, Melissa Charbonneau went to the police station and spoke to Officer Kelly McKenney, telling her that she was staying with her parents but wanted to retrieve some personal belongings from her house.

“Melissa confirmed that she knew she needed to call the police for a civil standby if she was going to go back to the house,’’ the attorney general’s report states.

The officer asked Charbonneau if she wanted a police escort then, but Charbonneau declined.

“Melissa said she would call when she needed the police [for the civil standby] and then left the Police Department,’’ the report says.

Two hours later, Melissa Charbonneau, 29, was dead, and her father had been shot in the back. Her death later inspired a change in state law classifying attempted strangulation as second-degree assault, a felony. Previously, it was classified as simple assault, a misdemeanor, allowing Jonathan Charbonneau to get out of jail after paying $30 bail.

The case also raised questions about restraining orders. In seeking the order, Melissa Charbonneau told authorities that her husband had a gun, and she asked that police direct him to turn it in.

The order said Jonathan Charbonneau “shall refrain from possessing a firearm,’’ but the Hillsborough County sheriff has said the box on the order form that would have ordered authorities to seize any guns was not checked.

The attorney general’s report concludes that Jonathan Charbonneau’s primary motive in killing his wife appeared to have been jealousy; he believed she was having an affair with her karate instructor despite their denials. Possible drug use and mental health issues may also have played a role, the report says, noting that toxicology reports showed a small amount of marijuana in his bloodstream, as well as an antidepressant.

Evidence collected at the scene included a semiautomatic rifle, a bullet with a message written on it to the karate instructor, and a two-page suicide note.
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Woman Shot In Murder-Suicide Had Obtained Restraining Order

[P]aperwork filed in Manchester Superior Court from earlier this week shows a different side of Jonathan Charbonneau. In applying for a restraining order, his wife wrote that he picked her up off the floor and "threw me into a lamp and climbed on top of me and continued to choke me."

On Wednesday, in addition to filing for a restraining order, Missy Charbonneau also filed for divorce, citing domestic violence as a reason.

That restraining order required Jonathan Charbonneau to surrender any weapons and stay away from his wife, but police said he was armed with a rifle when she arrived at their house.

Family members said this was the first time they knew of that Jonathan Charbonneau became violent.

"They were having difficulties, but it was just starting to really bubble at this point in time, but nothing of a violent nature," said cousin Ilona Bolich.

Bolich said her cousin was a true beauty and a great mother.

"She was a very nurturing young woman," Bolich said. "They had three children, one biological. Two were Jon Charbonneau's other children. She was the rock of the family."

Bolich said the children are safe and surrounded by relatives, but the family is struggling to deal with their loss.

"One moment she's here, another she's gone," Bolich said. "It seems like a bad nightmare."

Murder Victim's Dad Fights For Tougher Laws

It was October 22. Melissa Charbonneau and her father went to pick up some belongings from her home in Manchester, New Hampshire. Her estranged husband, who was waiting inside, suddenly shot and killed her.

[...]

Cantin says stiffer domestic violence penalties would likely have saves both lives that night.

Two days before that incident, Jonathan Charbonneau had been arrested for allegedly trying to strangle his wife to the point where she lost consciousness. It was only a misdemeanor charge.

"Her husband was out on a $30 bail. He was out on the streets right away," said Cantin, who is now asking New Hampshire lawmakers to classify strangulation as a felony.

[...]

"I feel I shouldn't have even gotten out of that house. I should have died there as well," Cantin said. "There must be a reason why I'm here. I'm lucky to be here just talking about it, so I'm going to talk for Melissa, because she didn't just die for nothing."