Allan Legere (The Monster of Miramichi)

Allan Joseph Legere was born on February 13, 1948, in Chatham, New Brunswick, Canada. He grew up in the Miramichi region and developed a criminal record before committing the murders that would make him one of Canada's most notorious offenders. Details of his childhood and family life are limited compared with the extensive documentation of his later criminal activities.

By adulthood, Legere was involved in theft, violence and other criminal offences. In June 1986, he participated in a home invasion at the residence of elderly shopkeeper John Glendenning and his wife, Mary, in Black River Bridge. Glendenning was beaten to death and Mary was severely assaulted and sexually attacked. Legere and accomplices Todd Matchett and Scott Curtis were arrested and prosecuted for their involvement.

Legere was convicted of second-degree murder for Glendenning's death and sentenced to life imprisonment in January 1987. He was incarcerated at Atlantic Institution in Renous, New Brunswick, where he remained until his escape in May 1989.

On May 3, 1989, Legere escaped from custody while being treated for an ear infection at Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont Regional Hospital in Moncton. After overpowering correctional officers and escaping the hospital, he stole vehicles and remained at large in the Miramichi region for approximately seven months.

On May 28, 1989, Legere entered a residence in Chatham occupied by sisters-in-law Annie and Nina Flam. He sexually assaulted Nina and brutally attacked both women before killing 75-year-old Annie. He then set fire to the house. Nina survived the attack and provided investigators with important information about the offender.

On October 14, 1989, Legere attacked sisters Donna and Linda Daughney at their home in Newcastle. Both women were sexually assaulted and murdered, and the residence was deliberately set on fire. The attacks intensified the fear already gripping the Miramichi region as residents attempted to protect themselves from the escaped killer.

On November 16, 1989, Legere killed 69-year-old Catholic priest James Smith at the Blessed Virgin Mary Church rectory in Chatham Head. Smith was beaten to death, bringing the number of murders committed during Legere's escape to four.

Legere targeted vulnerable people in residential settings, frequently attacking women and elderly victims. His crimes involved robbery, sexual violence, physical assault and murder, with several victims being subjected to prolonged and exceptionally brutal attacks.

He repeatedly used arson after murders, setting fire to residences in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence and conceal his crimes. The attacks on the Flam and Daughney homes demonstrated this pattern, while the murder of Father James Smith showed that his victims were not limited to women or people connected to his earlier crimes.

Legere's ability to remain hidden while moving around the Miramichi region, combined with his willingness to steal vehicles, take hostages and attack people who encountered him, made him extremely difficult for police to capture during the seven-month manhunt.

The search for Legere became one of the largest manhunts in New Brunswick's history. Police received hundreds of tips while residents across the Miramichi region lived under intense fear. Legere repeatedly changed locations, stole vehicles and avoided detection despite the extensive police presence.

On November 24, 1989, Legere was finally captured near Nelson, New Brunswick. He had taken three motorists hostage during his attempt to escape the area, with two managing to get away while another remained under his control when police intervened.

Legere was arrested and returned to custody. The subsequent investigation gathered extensive physical and forensic evidence connecting him to the four murders committed during his escape.

Legere's trial for the four 1989 murders began in Burton, New Brunswick, in August 1991. Because of the extraordinary publicity and fear generated by the killings, the proceedings were moved away from the Miramichi region.

The prosecution presented physical evidence, witness testimony and DNA evidence connecting Legere to the crimes. The case was historically significant because DNA profiling was used in Canada to help secure a criminal conviction. Evidence from the crime scenes established links between Legere and the attacks.

In November 1991, Legere was convicted of the four murders committed while he was an escaped prisoner. He was declared a dangerous offender and received life imprisonment with no realistic prospect of release for many years. His existing life sentence for the 1986 murder of John Glendenning remained in force.

Legere spent the remainder of his life in Canadian federal custody. He was transferred to Edmonton Institution in Alberta in 2015 and repeatedly denied full parole because of the continuing assessment that he presented a serious risk of violence. He died in custody on March 9, 2026, aged 78.

Legere's escape and subsequent murder spree caused widespread fear throughout the Miramichi region during the summer and autumn of 1989. Residents took extraordinary precautions, including staying together in groups and changing normal community activities while police searched for the escaped prisoner.

The case was historically important to Canadian forensic investigation because DNA profiling was used to connect Legere to the murder scenes and support his conviction. The evidence helped establish the prosecution's case despite the considerable time and circumstances surrounding the crimes.

Legere continued to seek parole during his decades in prison. Parole authorities repeatedly concluded that he remained a significant risk, citing his history of extreme violence, sexual offending, escape attempts and continued behaviour while incarcerated. In December 2025, the Parole Board of Canada again denied him full parole. He died three months later while serving his life sentence.

Sources:

• University of New Brunswick Law Library
• Correctional Service Canada
• Parole Board of Canada
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police
• New Brunswick court records
• CBC News
• Global News
• Canadian Press
• The Telegraph-Journal
• Crime Stories