By Devon Cormier
Staff Writer

In an intense and emotional plea hearing that brought the courtroom audience to tears, Christopher Bernard, 36, pleaded guilty on Friday, April 8, to three counts of first-degree murder of a Hooksett family at Hillsborough County Superior Court.

IN COURT –Christopher Bernard was bound by handcuffs when he pleaded guilty to three counts of first degree murder in the Hillsborough County Superior Court at his plea hearing on Friday, April 8. Bernard admitted to murdering his sister, 30-year-old Tricia Doyle of Hooksett, and her two young children in a rage on Oct. 4. Bernard was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences without possibility of parole. He confessed to the murders shortly after his arrest last year. (Devon Cormier Photo)

Bernard was charged with killing his sister, Tricia Doyle, 30, and her two young children, Gillian, 4, and James, 2, all of Hooksett, on Oct. 4. All three were found dead in Bernard’s home at 61 Johnson St. in Manchester. Bernard waived his right to an indictment by a grand jury and his right to a trial. He was sentenced to serve three consecutive life sentences without parole.

Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Strelzin said the defense approached the state about a month and a half ago while the state was still investigating the case for a grand jury indictment and asked for the plea bargain.

A competency test prior to the plea hearing established that Bernard was competent. That finding may have compromised the defense that Bernard’s attorney, Barbara Keshen, had previously said they would seek of not guilty by reason of insanity.

Bernard was arrested for the murders on Oct. 17. Once Bernard had been brought to the Valley Street Jail, he asked to speak with detectives. In two interviews that night and the following morning, Bernard confessed to murdering all three of the victims, saying that he had drunk beer and used cocaine, and was “in a fog” that day.

Bernard said he was angry in general and specifically with his sister Tricia Doyle the day he committed the murders. Bernard said he wanted to take responsibility for his actions to “get this all off my chest.” Bernard stood in court and attributed his horrific actions to opiate addiction and depression as his parents, wife and Tricia Doyle’s husband looked on. Bernard said he was prescribed the highly addictive painkiller Oxycontin by Elliot Hospital and the drug led him into a spiral of depression and opiate addiction that caused him to murder his sister, niece and nephew.

Bernard also requested another meeting with detectives in which he allegedly asked to see them to discuss four or five murders he committed. Once the detectives arrived, Bernard said he only wanted to speak about the charges pending against him. Strelzin said the Manchester Police Department was concerned about his claim at first but no longer believe Bernard was involved in any other murders.

At the plea hearing, Bernard answered most of the judge’s questions with “yup,” and “yes,” although he showed some confusion during the proceedings. When asked if he understood that he would be incarcerated for the rest of his life, he answered that he would get two to four years in jail for each count of murder before saying yes. When asked if Bernard purposefully murdered his nephew, James Doyle, Bernard had to take a moment with his attorney before responding with a yes.

Strelzin went through all of the evidence and details of the murders before Bernard was sentenced.

On Oct. 4, Bernard dropped off his wife, Kim Bernard, in Chester, where she is a teacher, with the understanding that he would pick her up at 5 p.m. Bernard then went to a Manchester bar two separate times and had a beer each time. Bernard also said he purchased cocaine from the bartender.

Later in the day, Bernard called his sister, Tricia Doyle, and asked if she would come and talk to him. Tricia Doyle told her mother, Patricia Bernard, of the conversation and Patricia Bernard asked her daughter to wait for her to get out of work so they could go together. At around 5 p.m. Tricia Doyle went to Bernard’s 61 Johnson St. home with her two children. It wasn’t long before Bernard began to strangle Tricia Doyle. He stabbed her eight times. He then killed Gillian by stabbing her 12 times and he then killed James by stabbing him six times.

Bernard then called his wife, Kim, who had been repeatedly calling her husband to ask where he was. It was 5:24 p.m. and Bernard told her he was on his way. When Bernard never showed up to pick his wife up, she got a ride home from work with a friend. Kim Bernard did not have her house keys but soon found that her husband was at Elliot Hospital after a suicide attempt.

After murdering his sister and her children, Bernard went to Interstate 93, where he jogged out in front of a dump truck. An ambulance transported him to Elliot Hospital, where he was pronounced in good condition a short time later.

Kim Bernard got to the hospital and went searching through her husband’s bag to find house keys. She found only Tricia Doyle’s keys and a bloody cell phone. She went back to her house and authorized the police to gain entry.

Officers found the three bodies in the second floor master bedroom where a pornographic movie was on pause on the television. James Doyle was face down near the bed. Tricia’s pants and underwear had been removed and a pair of Kim Bernard’s underwear had been placed over her crotch. Gillian Doyle was near the door with her shirt over her head and her pants and underwear pulled down. Saliva was found on Gillian’s genitals and Bernard was not ruled out as match. No semen was found on any of the bodies or on Bernard himself.

Bernard showed no emotion as he was taken into custody for the murder of his sister, niece and nephew while his family watched.