On a late summer morning in Manchester, New Hampshire, the life of 32-year-old Justin Lee was tragically cut short. On September 7, 2018, just before 11:00 a.m., police responded to the area of Hanover and Lincoln Streets to find Lee suffering from a gunshot wound. He was quickly transported to Elliott Hospital, but succumbed to his injuries later that day.
An autopsy would later confirm that the cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the chest, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.
Born in Concord and a former resident of Pittsfield, Justin Lee was a father who was known by family and friends for his artistic talents in drawing and writing poetry. He had attended Pittsfield High School and was a resident of Manchester at the time of his passing. His unexpected death left his family, including a son, grappling with a sudden and violent loss.
The investigation into Lee's death quickly focused on a suspect, 26-year-old Paul Dimick. Authorities believed Dimick shot Lee because he thought Lee had stolen from him. A warrant was issued for Dimick's arrest, and he was considered armed and dangerous. Following a tip, police located Dimick at a residence on East High Street and took him into custody without incident several days after the shooting.
Paul Dimick was initially charged with reckless second-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a deadly weapon. By January 2019, he was indicted on first and second-degree murder charges, as well as charges related to concealing the firearm used in the crime. In a plea bargain with prosecutors, Dimick pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. In January 2020, he was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison. He also received a consecutive suspended sentence for falsifying physical evidence by concealing the firearm.
