In the close-knit community of Newcastle, New Brunswick, sisters Linda and Donna Daughney were a familiar and welcome presence. Linda Lou Daughney, a 41-year-old Caucasian woman, was known for her quiet and more timid nature, a gentle counterpoint to her older sister's outgoing personality. She had a particular fondness for earrings, often wearing several pairs at once in her pierced ears.
The sisters lived together on Mitchell Street, where they had been neighbors with some residents for over three decades, becoming more like family than friends. Their neighbor, Bernard Geikie, remembered them as being like daughters to him and his wife, recalling how they would visit daily and were a cherished part of his family's life.
The sense of safety and community on their street was shattered on the morning of October 14, 1989. A passing driver noticed smoke coming from the Daughney sisters' home around 5:45 a.m. Firefighters responded and extinguished two separate fires that had been deliberately set inside—one in Linda's bedroom and another in Donna's closet. Inside the smoke-filled house, a horrific scene awaited. The bodies of both sisters were discovered; Linda was found on the floor of Donna's bedroom, while Donna was found in her own bed. The women had been brutally beaten and sexually assaulted. The funeral director, who had known them for years, was initially unable to distinguish between them due to the severity of their injuries.
An autopsy revealed the extent of the violence Linda had endured. She had suffered puncture wounds, both of her jaws were broken, and she had been partially strangled. While she had inhaled smoke, with her lungs containing 23% carbon monoxide, the official cause of her death was a combination of the beating and smoke inhalation. Her sister, Donna, aged 45, died from the beating she sustained and from aspirating her own vomit. The brutality of the crime sent a wave of terror through the Miramichi region, a community already on edge.
Suspicion immediately fell on Allan Joseph Legere, a convicted murderer who had escaped from custody seven months earlier and was in the midst of a violent crime spree. Legere, who became known as the "Monster of the Miramichi," was already serving a life sentence for the 1986 murder of shopkeeper John Glendenning when he escaped from a Moncton hospital on May 3, 1989. During his time as a fugitive, he killed four more people, including the Daughney sisters. Investigators noted the similarities between this crime and the murder of 75-year-old Annie Flam just months prior. Legere had a past connection to Linda, having attended the same health club where she had once rejected his advances.
The investigation into the Daughney sisters' murders became a landmark case in Canadian legal history. For the first time, DNA profiling was used to secure a conviction. Semen samples found at the scene were matched to Legere's DNA, providing incontrovertible proof of his involvement. This forensic evidence was crucial, as there were no witnesses to the murders. After a massive manhunt that kept the entire province in a state of fear, Legere was recaptured on November 24, 1989.
In November 1991, Allan Legere was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder for the killings he committed while on the run, including those of Linda and Donna Daughney. He was also found guilty of arson, rape, sexual assault, and kidnapping. He was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years. Legere consistently denied his direct involvement in the murders, often blaming accomplices, though he admitted to being present. He was denied parole on multiple occasions, with the parole board citing him as an ongoing risk to society. Allan Legere died in custody at the Edmonton Institution on March 9, 2026, at the age of 78. His death brought a final, quiet end to a reign of terror that the community of Miramichi will never forget.
