Somerville, Massachusetts — 1995

At the age of 17, those who knew Deanna Cremin described her as a fun, outgoing, charismatic young woman with an infectious smile. With her blonde hair and green eyes, Deanna had always been unaware of what a beautiful young woman she was becoming. She was one of six children in her family, with three brothers and two sisters. Friends and family claim that Deanna always hated her small frame, being only five-feet, two-inches tall and possibly no more than a size zero, yet her larger-than-life personality made up for her petiteness. With her love for children and known for being her neighborhood’s favorite babysitter, Deanna hoped to one day work with children as a school teacher or social worker.

Only a few days after her seventeenth birthday, on the morning of March 30, 1995 at approximately 8:00 AM, two children whom Deanna babysat were taking a shortcut to their school and discovered a body lying behind a housing complex on Jacque Street. Authorities would soon discover that it was the body of Deanna Cremin. The beautiful young girl, loved by so many had been strangled and sexually assaulted.

On the night prior, Deanna was out with some friends, including her boyfriend, Thomas (Tommy) LeBlanc. Deanna had a curfew of 10:00 PM and whenever the two were together, LeBlanc always walked her to the front door of her family’s home then call her once he made it back to his family’ s home. However, this was not the case on the last night they saw each other. When midnight rolled around and Deanna still hadn’t arrived home, her mother, Katherine Cremin, attempted to reach her daughter by calling her pager but received no response. The following morning Katherine called LeBlanc and he told her that he had walked Deanna halfway home the night before and that was the last he’d seen of her — less than five-hundred-feet from where her body would later be found. Deanna’s father, Albert, even called her high school in the hopes that she may be in class. Later that morning Katherine, who was at work, would receive a phone call delivering the worst news a parent could ever receive.

Suspects

There were three main suspects that law enforcement looked into and questioned at the time. Obviously, Deanna’s boyfriend Tommy being one of them. Another was an unnamed firefighter with the Somerville Fire Department that Deanna’s friends claimed had become fixated with her. Little can be found about this person other than his profession and that he supposedly is a member of “one of the city’s politically influential families.” (The Boston Globe, April 4, 1995)

The third suspect was a man who was later imprisoned at Massachusetts Correctional Institution, Cedar Junction. He was spotted around the same area where Deanna was found and was questioned by police but no charges were made against him.

Many, including myself, suspect Tommy LeBlanc for either murdering Deanna Cremin or knowing more than he has let on. About two months after the murder, LeBlanc’s mother filed a restraining order against her son. Apparently, Tommy LeBlanc was known for having a very bad temper and mood swings. According to the Cremin family, LeBlanc has never attended a memorial mass for Deanna and her older sister, Christina, has stated that he hadn’t been very cooperative with the police during the investigation.

Twenty-three years have come and gone and although law enforcement has come into possession of more evidence and new forensic technology has helped the authorities, (although findings haven’t been disclosed) the Cremin family is still no closer to having their many questions answered.

**Anyone with any further information on this case should call the number in the flyer posted above.***

References:

New Eveidence Surfaces Regarding Unsolved 1995 Somerville Deanna Cremin Murder Investigation May Have Been Stifled

The Unsolved Murder of Deanna Cremin

20 Years Without Deanna

Firefighter Questions in Somerville Murder Case