Dark Downeast - The Murder of Angela Belisle (Vermont)

Episode Date: February 20, 2023

VERMONT, 1981: During the earliest moments of the investigation, the death of 35-year old Angela Belisle was presumed to be the result of dangerous temperatures and extreme winter weather. Instead, the autopsy revealed that Angela was the victim of a homicide. What happened to Angela? Who is responsible? What will it take for her killer to be brought to justice all these years later?If you have any information about this case, please the Vermont State Police. Tips may be submitted anonymously online or by texting keyword: VTIPS to 274637 (CRIMES). View source material and photos for this episode at darkdowneast.com/angelabelisle Dark Downeast is an audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.Follow @darkdowneast on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTokTo suggest a case visit darkdowneast.com/submit-case

It was January of 1981, and in true New England fashion, the weather was brutal and unforgiving. In northern Vermont, temperatures dropped to 38 degrees below zero. With windchill, it felt like 80 below, the kind of cold that's deadly. A University of Vermont student was walking down a residential street on Saturday, January 3rd, 1981, when he spotted what he believed to be a mannequin in the snow. But the reality was much more grim. His 911 call opened a case that is still unsolved, more than 42 years later. During the earliest moments of the investigation, the death of 35-year-old Angela Belisle

was presumed to be the result of dangerous temperatures and extreme winter weather. Instead, the autopsy revealed that Angela was the victim of a homicide. What happened to Angela and who was responsible? And what will it take for her killer to be brought to justice all these years later? I'm Kylie Lowe, and this is the unsolved case of Angela Belisle

on Dark Down East. On the morning of January 3rd, 1981, a University of Vermont student was walking down the iced-over sidewalks on the charming residential street of Brooks Avenue when he spotted a figure laying in the snow. He thought it looked like a person, but his mind was playing tricks on him. Maybe it was just a mannequin. But why would a mannequin be out in the snow? As the man stepped closer and blinked into the frigid air to get a better look, it all became clear at once. It wasn't a mannequin, but a real person. A woman. And it looked like she'd been there for quite some time. In a panic, the student ran across the street to a neighbor's

house and pounded on the door. His eyes were wide and his expression frantic as the homeowner greeted him. The student told him to call the police. The neighbor and the student walked over to the woman, almost standing guard as they waited for authorities. They'd later tell Jodi Peck of the Burlington Free Press that the woman had dried blood on her face that looked like it came from her nose. She was laying next to her vehicle and the driver's side door was open, with the window cracked just slightly. The man from across the street recognized the woman. Her name was Angela Belisle. The initial report from Vermont's chief medical examiner, Dr. Eleanor McQuillan,

said 35-year-old Angela Belisle likely died from exposure after getting out of her car, slipping on the ice, and hitting her head. That was the story printed across the country the following day. Her death became part of national weather coverage. A headline in the Boston Globe read, Car keys in hand, woman dies in cold. An Associated Press piece sandwiched the report of Angela Belisle's death between details of extreme windchill and complaints from citizens about no heat in their apartments. But the chief medical examiner's initial report would prove to be wrong.

Angela Louise Belisle didn't die from a fall on the ice and exposure to the biting temperatures. The autopsy revealed someone shot and killed Angela right there in the driveway of her own home. Angela Belisle, maiden name Gage, was the mother of three children with her ex-husband, Gerald Belisle, called name Gage, was the mother of three children with her ex-husband, Gerald Belisle, called Jerry. The two started dating in the 60s after they met at a dance hall in Bedford, Quebec, near where Angela was from. Jerry, like many Vermont residents, often spent time over the border in Canada. It was just a short drive away. Jerry and Angela were married in 1968 and moved to Swanton, Vermont together. Jerry was a cement truck driver at the time, and Angela had a teaching certificate.

She eventually became a school teacher in St. Albans. After they became Mr. and Mrs. Belisle, Jerry's business grew into a lucrative cement-pouring firm. I found it interesting that numerous reports in the media at the time made note of the couple's income, $70,000 annually, which was equivalent to about $287,000 a year today. With that kind of money, they were able to build a new house on the land where they once lived in a mobile home. They even bought a camp together on Lake Champlain. On the surface, their life looked charmed. The new house, the lakeside property, the three beautiful children. But the couple began to have problems that they couldn't

reconcile. In divorce filings, Angela called Jerry a workaholic. They separated in 1978 and finalized their divorce in 1979. Following their divorce, a series of strange and unsettling events began to follow Angela around. In August of 1979, the home where she was living with her kids in Swanton, Vermont, caught fire. Angela and the children were away for the weekend and were unharmed, but the blaze damaged the house and its contents, enough to force Angela to move the family out. William Braun reported for the Burlington Free Press that Angela stayed with her former mother-in-law just across the street for some time. Jerry eventually rebuilt the Swanton house and moved in there. Although reporting in several sources called it mysterious,

it appears that no one was ever charged with arson for that house fire. The Franklin County State's attorney was at least considering it, though. One state police fire official believed the fire was intentionally set, while another thought the evidence showed it was an accident. At the time of Angela's death, the investigation into the fire was still open. A year after the fire, in 1980, the lake house that Angela had gotten as part of the divorce settlement was vandalized. Information about this incident is scarce, and whether anyone was found responsible for the damage is unknown. The two events made Angela uneasy and fearful. A friend of Angela's told the Times-Arges that Angela stopped going out at night. When she absolutely needed to leave her house after dark,

Angela was sure to park her car as close to the entrance of her home as she could upon her return, wanting to walk the shortest distance possible out in the open. She constantly worried about her safety, but beyond the fire and vandalism, no one could elaborate on any other trigger for Angela's fears. By 1981, Angela had moved to Burlington and was pursuing her doctorate in psychology at the University of Vermont. According to a professor in the psychology department, Angela worked 20 hours a week on her clinical internship and attended about another 20 hours of classes. The same professor told the Burlington Free Press that Angela was a, quote, really vibrant person,

super, and well-liked, end quote. Angela's death, her murder, was a shock to the University of Vermont and greater Burlington community. As the early investigation began, everyone hoped that whoever stole her life would be caught and fast. Although national news outlets printed the incorrect version of what happened to Angela Belisle, the Burlington Free Press reported on the accurate story once more information was available. On closer examination, Dr. Eleanor McQuillan discovered a gunshot wound, and it was clear that this was what caused Angela's death, not an accidental fall. Later, when asked why it was missed that Angela had a gunshot wound, the first detective on the scene, Patrick Foley,

told the Champlain Valley ABC affiliate that it initially looked like a freckle or a mole. It wasn't obvious as a gunshot wound. At first, the ME would only say that Angela died as the result of a firearm injury, noting that how many gunshot wounds, what type of firearm, and when the shooting occurred would be part of the autopsy findings. But the autopsy would take time. Her body was frozen, and the autopsy could not be performed until her body warmed. Chittenden County State's attorney announced that the case was being treated as a homicide, and further tests were expected to give investigating authorities at least something to go on. According to the Burlington Free Press, crime scene technicians shoveled and melted the snow around Angela's body.

It's then that they recovered a bullet. It could prove to be a key piece of evidence for determining the kind of firearm used. The preliminary investigation, though, revealed no immediate suspects. The autopsy results were reported two days later, Dr. McQuillan finding that Angela's approximate time of death was between the night of Friday, January 2nd,

and the early morning hours of Saturday, January 3rd, but it was impossible to determine an exact time due to the weather conditions. Her cause of death was a single gunshot to the head. However, one source reported that there was evidence that a second shot was fired and made contact with Angela. The Times-Argus reported that no one in the neighborhood could recall hearing any gunshots. Any further details, such as the type of bullet or firearm, were not released to the public to protect the investigation. That information

could potentially be used to verify any tips police received. State's attorney Keller made an interesting comment to the Burlington Free Press, saying, quote, a lot of people off the street have a lot to gain by going to the police department with information, end quote. As far as motive for the crime, state's attorney Keller would only rule out robbery, as her purse was found near her body, apparently undisturbed, with no cash missing. Angela's three children were not at home at the time. Hours before her death, she had done the customary kids of divorced parents handoff in a parking lot at UVM. She sent the kids off with her ex-husband around 6 p.m. that Friday, January 2nd. Just two days after her body was discovered, authorities were already calling the investigation

disappointing. Police interviewed an individual on Monday, January 5th, but the conversation yielded nothing that would progress the case, although Keller did say that the same person might be called back in for additional questioning. He also hinted that more inquests were expected. An inquest, by the way, was described by Keller as a subpoena for potential witnesses who otherwise refused to cooperate with an investigation. These witnesses are put under oath and compelled by court order to answer questions. Some are even polygraphed. Who wasn't cooperating with the investigation? Of course, that's a detail the state's attorney's office would not reveal. Three weeks later, Keller said of the investigation, quote,

it's going to be a long one, end quote. Spring was approaching northern Vermont by the time any updates were made public in Angela Belisle's murder. A report in the Bennington Banner said that a man who apparently died by suicide in early March of 1981 had previously been questioned in connection with Angela's case. Though there was no note, state's attorney David Miller stated that the investigation and autopsy showed, quote, classic signs of suicide, end quote. The man was David Harrison, and he was one of Gerald Belisle's business partners. A county prosecutor set the record straight, though.

Harrison was not a suspect, only a potential witness. In a case like this, with a woman who had no known enemies, who wasn't wrapped up in anything potentially dangerous or otherwise threatening to her life, investigators almost always start with the closest circle of people around the victim. And in the case of Angela Belisle, investigators had reason to zero in on her former husband, Gerald Belisle. Angela had filed a motion to reopen the divorce proceedings just a few weeks before she was shot. According to the filings, Angela was seeking an adjustment in support payments because

she'd lost her income when a psychology internship of hers ended. She also wanted the camp on Lake Champlain re-evaluated following the vandalism in 1980. Those filings had yet to be decided when Angela died, but a hearing was scheduled for 11 days after she was murdered. Police obtained a search warrant and seized all the firearms from Gerald's home, presumably to check them against other evidence to potentially find a murder weapon. Jerry had admitted to being in the Burlington area to pick up their children from Angela

just hours before she was killed, but he also seemed to have a solid alibi for the estimated time of the murder. He was home with his children in St. Albans. His oldest daughter could back him up on it too. She was just 10 years old at the time, but she told police that she remembered waking up in the middle of the night and seeing her dad sleeping in the living room.

Quote, I was going to the bathroom and saw him snoring like a freight train. She even remembered the precise time. She said, quote, it was 1234 a.m. because we had a digital clock and it's rare to see it with the numbers one, two, three, four in a row like that, end quote. Detective Patrick Foley was first to respond to the scene on January 3rd, 1981. He later told Sam Hemingway of the Burlington Freed Press that Jerry's alibi didn't quite add up for him, saying that he didn't think Gerald went straight home with the kids after picking them up in Burlington. Quote,

Jerry was still living in the area as the early investigation developed. He was fairly well known, given his successful business, and the media kept a spotlight on him too. When a reporter for the Times-Argus reached him for comment about the reports that Angela had started to fear for her safety in the months prior to her death, he said, quote, I know what Angela said, but I don't know why, end quote. He wouldn't speak any further about the case. Whatever information police got from Mr. Belisle's firearms and from questioning him, if anything, must not have amounted to much. He wasn't arrested or charged or anything more than hinted at as a suspect. To be abundantly clear, Gerald Belisle has never

been arrested or charged with any crime as it relates to the murder of his ex-wife, Angela Belisle. He continued life with their children, telling the Times-Argus that they were adjusting well as the investigation into their mother's case began to slow. In November of 1981, the Times-Argus reported that murder for hire was being explored as a possibility for the case. It was a one-liner note closing out an article about the investigation. I dug for more details on this theory, but none are public. If that theory continues to be one the case is following,

it hasn't been confirmed or proven true. Because one year later, Angela's murder was still unsolved. Robert Knotts of the Time Argus asked state's attorney Mark Keller if he knew who killed Angela. Keller responded, quote, I have my hunch. Oftentimes, you think you know who did it, but can't prove it.

But you never know who did it until you can prove it. End quote. Burlington Police, State Police, and the Vermont State's Attorney's Office didn't have anything, at least not anything that would blow the case wide open and have a suspect nailed down to the point of an arrest. The

investigation simply couldn't move forward without new information. Like many cases that go cold, Angela's case simply fell down the list of priorities with each day that passed, until soon it was overlooked as more urgent needs were addressed. Keller said, quote, we have pursued most of the leads or all of the leads that we had. Basically what happens in an investigation is not a conscious decision, okay, we're finished, let's put it on the back burner. You keep working, keep working, keep working. You gradually run out of stuff, and you realize that all the other things

that you're supposed to have been doing have been put aside, and you get distracted and off on other cases, end quote. In July of 1982, the Champlain Valley Crime Stoppers Organization published a piece in the Burlington Free Press announcing that Angela Belisle's case would be part of its bi-weekly reenactments

of unsolved cases. The article reads, quote, the hope is that the dramatized and written descriptions will jog potential witnesses' memories and give police leads, end quote. Crime Stoppers also offered cash rewards for information leading to the arrest and arraignment of Angela Belisle's killer. But neither the dramatizations or printed reminder or the reward was enough to shake out any new information.

Her case remains cold to this day, over 42 years later. In 2006, Burlington Free Press writer Sam Hemingway caught up with multiple members of Angela Belisle's family, covering her story in an extensive piece to mark the 25th anniversary of her still unsolved killing. Angela's brother, Colin Gage, spoke with Hemingway, sharing how Angela's side of the family felt about Gerald and gave insight into their relationship dynamics. Quote, I that Jerry, quote, did not have eyes for anyone else, but I think my sister Angela did. Jerry had a hard time with

Angela not being there for him anymore, end quote. Colin was also critical of the investigation and felt that not enough was done to solve the case. He said that, as of 2006, they hadn't heard from Vermont State Police since 1981 or 1982, the year or year after Angela was killed. He also pointed out what he felt were investigative missteps. Cullen told the Burlington Free Press that he picked up Angela's car three months after she was killed and was driving it back to his home in Quebec when it overheated. He pulled over and went to the trunk looking for something to fix the issue. As the trunk opened, he was hit with the scent of rotting food. Angela's groceries from that night three months earlier were still there.

It looked like nothing had been disturbed. Police later could not explain why the groceries were still in the trunk, but said that they did inspect them. Hemingway also tracked down Gerald Belisle and asked how he saw the case all these years later. Jerry seemed to face the questions head-on and addressed the theory that he was responsible for his ex-wife's death. He told Hemingway that it didn't feel very good to be living with the suspicion all these years, but that he understood why police looked so closely at him, being the ex-husband and all. As far as Jerry's theories about what happened to the mother of his children, he told the Burlington Free Press, quote,

I don't have a freaking clue, end quote. Sam Hemingway's 2006 reporting about this case is the only source that mentions Angela reportedly having a boyfriend at the time of her murder. Her brother said that it took three weeks for police to interview that boyfriend. If that lead was anything, again, it didn't go anywhere. Angela's case remains unsolved today. Mark Keller had since moved on from the state's attorney's office when reporter Libby Farrow interviewed him in 2001 for the 40th anniversary of Angela Belisle's death. He explained the complexities of investigating a crime of this nature, especially in the weather conditions and temperatures they were dealing with. He said, There was no exchange of DNA between the assailant and the person

because there is no contact between them. If the gun had been found, the bullet could have been tied to the gun. We have no scientific evidence to support it. End quote. Farrow also spoke to Patrick Foley, the first detective on the scene who had since become chief of police in Williston. He wouldn't say much or share specifics given the still open investigation, but he did say that the evidence indicated that Angela's murder was personal, saying, quote, the person who did this crime knows what I'm talking about when I say it's personal,

end quote. Mark Keller also told Libby Farrow that the footprints in the snow indicated that whoever shot Angela was there waiting for her when she got home, hiding by the garage as she pulled her car in. Quote, the lights go out and this person moved to position and she was shot. Nothing was taken from her. It was directly towards her. End quote. That had been her fear, the specific scenario she worried about and did everything she could to protect herself from. She always parked her car as close to her house as she could. She did whatever was possible to avoid being out alone at night. Angela was just returning home from a grocery shopping trip.

She was steps away from the safety of her home, and yet someone was lying in wait to make her worst fears come true. Angela Belisle was a mother, a teacher, and a doctoral candidate in psychology. My heart aches for her children who grew up without her. And I'm angry for the potential and the life still yet to live that was ripped away when a still unknown gunman ended her life. The 1981 homicide of Angela Belisle is still unsolved more than 42 years later. If you have information that could help solve this case and bring her killer to justice, please contact Captain Scott Dunlap of the Vermont Major Crimes Unit.

You can also submit an anonymous tip online or by texting VTIPS to 274-637. Angela Belisle's murder is not the only unsolved homicide in Burlington, Vermont, and not even the only unsolved homicide on Brooks Avenue. 25-year-old Rita Curran was a schoolteacher at Milton Elementary School. She'd just moved out of her parents' house and into an apartment on Brooks Avenue after responding to an ad for a roommate in the Burlington Free Press. She moved into the apartment in June of 1971. One month later, Rita was violently attacked by an unknown assailant who sexually assaulted her before beating and strangling her to death. Throughout the years, many theories have been floated about Rita's killer, including one more sensational theory that she was a victim of Ted Bundy. According to WCAX

News, this was disproved when Bundy confessed to several unsolved murders before his execution. Rita was apparently not one of his victims. Rita's name was mentioned in a few news articles about Angela Belisle's homicide. Rita and Angela were both schoolteachers. They both lived on Brooks Avenue in Burlington, and they were killed at their homes on that street 10 years apart. But that's really where the similarities end. The M.O. does not appear to be the same, and as the detective said, Angela's case was extremely personal. At the time of this episode's original release date in February of 2023, Vermont State Police are expected to make an announcement about Rita Curran's unsolved homicide. That announcement is still forthcoming,

but WCAX News reported that authorities will hold a news conference to discuss DNA evidence that possibly solved Vermont's oldest cold case. Rita Curran's story is coming soon to Dark Down East. Thank you for listening to Dark Down East. Thank you for listening to Dark Down East. Sources cited and referenced for this episode are listed at darkdowneast.com. Please follow Dark Down East on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening right now. And if you could, leave a review on Apple Podcasts. I love to hear what you think of the show and what you want to hear next.

And reviews are really the best way to support this show and the cases I cover. If you have a personal connection to a case and you want me to cover it on this podcast, please contact me at hello at darkdowneast.com. Thank you for supporting this show and allowing me to do what I do. I'm honored to use this platform

for the families and friends who have lost their loved ones and for those who are still searching for answers in cold missing persons and homicide cases. I'm not about to let those names or their stories get lost with time. I'm Kylie Lowe, and this is Dark Down East.