# Murder of Maryann Measles

On October 19, 1997, 13-year-old Maryann Jeanine Measles was abducted from the parking lot of a New Milford, Connecticut shopping center, while waiting for her mother. A group of eight former friends took part in planning and carrying out her murder. About nine months later, her body was discovered in nearby Lake Lillinonah. All eight individuals involved in the murder were charged. The case garnered national media attention due to the crime's brutality.

## Victim

Maryann Measles was born on March 22, 1984, to parents Martin and Cyndi Measles in Sharon, Connecticut. She grew up in New Milford with her sisters Jennifer, Victoria, and Chelsea. She was a seventh grade student at Schaghticoke Middle School at the time of her disappearance.

## Events prior the murder

Measles began spending time with an older group of friends during the summer of 1997, only three months before they would all participate in her murder. The group included Keith Foster, Dorothy Hallas, Maggie Mae Bennett, Alan Walter, Jeffrey Boyette, Ronald Rajcok, Deaneric Dupas, and June Segar. In the months leading up to the murder, Maryann had been involved sexually with some of the men in the crew, including Alan Walter and Keith Foster. This would be an initial cause of tension for the women in the group, such as Dorothy Hallas, the girlfriend of Foster, and Maggie Bennett, who was dating Walter.
In early October, Measles confided in her mother, admitting that she'd had sex with the adult men. Despite initial hesitation, Maryann and her mother decided to file statutory rape charges with the New Milford police. While only one official report had been filed regarding Walter, they planned to return to file a report on Foster as well. Upon learning of Maryann's intentions, Dupas informed Walter, and the group quickly devised a plan to silence her.

## Events of October 19, 1997

The day of her murder, Measles could sense that her life was in danger. While at the New Milford Town Green that day, Maggie Bennett, Alan Walter, and June Segar were circling Measles in Bennett's mini van, yelling at her and hurling out threats. Feeling uneasy, Maryann called her mother from a payphone near the Green's gazebo and asked for a ride home. Cyndi Measles picked Maryann up but needed to stop for milk and bread at the nearby Big Y at Veterans Plaza. As Maryann waited in the parking lot for her mother to finish her errand, she was approached by Ronald Rajcok, who forced her into his Pontiac Trans Am. She was driven to a pull-off on River Road, where the group of friends had gathered. It was here that Maryann would be beaten, gang-raped, bound in chains, and dumped into the Housatonic River.

## Investigation and judicial process

After a search of about nine months, Maryann's body was found near a boat launch at Lake Lillinonah in Bridgewater, Connecticut, where it connects to the Housatonic. Her remains were wrapped in a blanket and chains. Her identity was confirmed by dental records.
In 2002, authorities announced the arrests of eight people for the killing of Measles, including Jeffrey Boyette, who had since relocated to Texas, and needed to be extradited to face charges. Walter and Dupas were the only two charged with capital murder. However, both men made plea deals to avoid the death penalty. Alan Walter pleaded guilty to felony murder, first-degree kidnapping, conspiracy to commit first-degree kidnapping, conspiracy to commit first-degree sexual assault, and tampering with physical evidence, earning him a sentence of 60 years in prison. Deaneric Dupas also pleaded guilty to felony murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit first-degree sexual assault. He was sentenced to 47 years in prison. Keith Foster was sentenced to the most lengthy prison term of the group, 110 years, for charges including felony murder, first-degree sexual assault, three counts of first-degree kidnapping, conspiracy to commit first-degree kidnapping, tampering with a witness, and tampering with physical evidence. Foster's girlfriend, Dorothy Halls, was charged with and pleaded guilty to felony murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree kidnapping, and risk of injury to a minor. She was sentenced to 25 years in prison and five years probation. Maggie Mae Bennett, the jealous girlfriend of Walter, was charged with first-degree kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, risk of injury to a minor, tampering with a witness, and tampering with evidence. Due to her cooperation with prosecutors, Bennett was sentenced to only 19 years in prison. She was released in 2019. Ronald Rajcok was sentenced to 36 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of felony murder, first-degree kidnapping, conspiracy to commit first-degree kidnapping, risk of injury to a minor, and tampering with a witness. As part of a plea bargain, June Segar was found guilty of felony murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree kidnapping, and tampering with a witness. She received a sentence of 30 years in prison. Jeffrey Boyette pleaded no contest to felony murder, first-degree sexual assault, first-degree kidnapping, and risk of injury to a minor. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison, suspended after 25 years.

### Appeals

Keith M. Foster, the only defendant to go to trial, appealed his conviction in 2009, but was rejected.