NH News Briefs 7-23-2025

A man who admitted to killing his girlfriend finds out his punishment for that crime.  Yesterday, a judge sentenced Connor MacLeod to up to 26 years behind bars for shooting Alexis Leach in her Conway apartment last year.  Prosecutors claim MacLeod was trying a maneuver with a gun he saw on YouTube when the weapon went off and a bullet struck Leach in the neck.  As part of his manslaughter plea, MacLeod will have to complete counseling and educational programs in prison.

Officials are identifying the victim of a fatal fire in Concord earlier this month.  Authorities say 62-year-old Darlene Phillips died due to a combination of carbon monoxide and thermal injuries during the July 17th blaze on Manchester Street.  There were 12 people displaced by the smoke and flames but no one else ended up getting hurt. The cause of the fire is still under investigation and anyone with information is asked to come forward.

Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais is officially running for a second term.  He filed his candidacy papers yesterday for this fall’s municipal election.  If a challenger does not come forward, it would only be the second time in the city’s history that a mayor ran unopposed. The first time was in 1863.

NH  Governor Kelly Ayotte announced yesterday that Youth Development Center Settlement Director John Broderick has resigned.  However, he responded that he did not resign saying the job was eliminated under a new law that removed the independence of the administrator.  Broderick oversaw the fund that allowed adults who were sexually of physically assaulted as children in the state’s juvenile detention system by state employees to be compensated.  The governor now has the power to appoint an administrator and the attorney general has final say on any settlements with victims.

A Manchester man is accused of illegally voting in several elections.  The Attorney General’s Office said Naseef Bryan voted three times since 2023, despite the fact that he is not a citizen.  If convicted he could face up to seven years in prison.  Bryan is scheduled for arraignment August 22nd, in Ninth Circuit Court, Manchester District Division.