On a seemingly ordinary Tuesday in Londonderry, New Hampshire, 59-year-old Daniel Rabideau, a White male, went about his work as a fuel delivery technician for City Fuel. It was May 24, 2016, a day that would end in a sudden and senseless tragedy. Rabideau arrived at a home on Currier Drive for what was described as a routine service call. Just minutes before, he had been on the phone with his wife, Carole, with no indication of the violence that was about to unfold.
The homeowner,
Richard Verville, a man in his late 60s or early 70s, met Rabideau at the residence. While Rabideau was working on the heating system, Verville shot him in the head, ending his life. Neighbors reported hearing gunfire shortly after the fuel van's arrival and alerted the police. When authorities responded to the scene for a welfare check, they discovered Rabideau's body. The situation quickly escalated into an hours-long standoff, with Verville barricaded inside his home. The neighborhood was evacuated, and nearby schools were placed on lockdown.
The standoff concluded when law enforcement found that Verville had turned the gun on himself in an apparent suicide attempt. He was transported to a hospital in Massachusetts with life-threatening injuries and died the following day. An investigation by the New Hampshire Attorney General's office determined the incident to be a murder-suicide. Authorities noted that Verville had been suffering from significant mental health issues.
There was no known connection between Daniel Rabideau and his killer. Rabideau's family, including his wife of nearly 25 years, five children, and eleven grandchildren, were left devastated and searching for answers. His wife described him as her best friend who "loved with all of his heart" and would help anyone. Neighbors of Verville described him as a paranoid individual who had ongoing disputes with others in the community and had surveillance cameras around his property. One neighbor even had a no-trespass order against him. Rabideau's stepdaughter lamented that people were aware of Verville's issues, yet nothing was done to prevent the tragedy. Daniel Rabideau was simply a man doing his job, a hardworking provider who was randomly and tragically killed.
