Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald and Manchester Police Chief Enoch F. Willard announce that Jonathan Bijeol pled guilty today and was sentenced for the murder of Richard Carlson that occurred on August 28, 2016 in Manchester, New Hampshire.

On the morning of August 28, 2016, Manchester police officers responded to Prout Park at 300 Young Street in response to a 911 call of an apparent deceased man found in the park. When the officers arrived, they found Richard Carlson (age 61) of Manchester dead near a baseball field in the park. An autopsy determined that Mr. Carlson died of blunt force trauma and that his death was a homicide.

After an extensive investigation, the Manchester Police Department arrested Jonathan Bijeol (age 35) for Mr. Carlson's murder. Mr. Bijeol was arrested in Andover, Massachusetts and evidencein the case was obtained through the assistance of the Massachusetts State Police. Earlier today, Mr. Bijeol pled guilty to Second-Degree Murder for causing Richard Carlson's death. The Court imposed a sentence of from 30 years to life, to run consecutive to a sentence for First-Degree Assault that Mr. Bijeol is serving on another matter.

The successful resolution of this case was the result of the collaborative efforts of the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office, the Manchester Police Department, the Andover Massachusetts Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police.