NH man accused of killing grandmother, 76, with a hammer

A New Hampshire man has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of his grandmother, according to the state's attorney general's office.

The New Hampshire Department of Justice said in a news release that 23-year-old Joshua Lanchester was arrested and charged with second-degree murder after his 76-year-old grandmother Cynthia Lanchester was found dead in a home in Easton.

Officials said 911 dispatch received a “medical emergency call” in the area at 11:41 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28. When they arrived at the house, police found the woman.”[lying] on the ground, deceased” and “appears to be suffering from a blunt force injury.”

At the house, police also “met” her grandson Joshua, who was arrested that evening after claiming he had “acted recklessly”. [caused] the death of Cynthia Lanchester with a deadly weapon, a hammer,” the NH DOJ said.

The Justice Department did not provide further details about how authorities determined Joshua's connection to the incident and his arrest, noting that he was being held without bail before his arraignment.

On Monday, September 30, Joshua waived his arraignment in court and it was unclear when his next court date would be scheduled, WMUR-TV reported.

On Sunday, September 29, the Attorney General's Office announced in an updated press release the results of Cynthia's autopsy, which was conducted by Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Abigail Alexander was carried out.

Alexander determined her cause of death was “blunt force trauma to the head” and her manner of death was “homicide.”

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According to the office, investigators are still investigating the “exact circumstances of the incident.”

“Investigators continue to examine the sequence of events surrounding Mrs. Lanchester's grandson, Joshua Lanchester, who was arrested on Saturday,” the Justice Department said, adding that he is “presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.”

One of Cynthia's neighbors, Robert Andersen, described her to WMUR-TV as “a nice lady” who was “very quiet” and reserved.

“It’s sad,” he added. “When we went for a walk today we saw the yellow caution tape. When we came back from the walk an hour later and saw the police car parked there, we knew something was really wrong.”

Another neighbor, Bobbe McIntyre, told the outlet that the incident was “something that happens very rarely in the small town”: “We have a peaceful neighborhood and when something like this happens it scares people, but I know that “It's a rarity.”