Man, 76, sentenced to serve 15 yers to life in January stabbing on Central Street

MANCHESTER, NH – Robert Hardy, who told investigators he wanted to stab a man 40 times, once for each year he disrespected him, is serving a 15-years-to-life sentence in the New Hampshire State Prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to attempted murder.

Hardy, 76, repeatedly stabbed the 69-year-old man on Jan. 22, 2024 in the Central Street home they shared. According to a news release issued by Hillsborough County Attorney John Coughlin, Hardy also pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree assault and received a suspended prison sentence that is to run once he is released.

Judge Michael Klass, presiding in Hillsborough County Superior Court – Northern District, imposed the sentence.

The stabbing took place on Jan. 22, 2024 at 5:20 p.m. Police were called to Central Street for a reported stabbing and found the 69-year-old man outside a residence, suffering from stab wounds to his torso.

He told police that a man he knew had attacked him with a knife, stabbing him multiple times, inside the home they shared.

The assault, he told police, began when he entered Hardy’s room and asked him to turn down the radio.

Hardy, according to the new release, grabbed a buck knife from his table and lunged at the victim, stabbing him twice in the torso and once in the upper back shoulder.  Several times he tried to slash the victim’s throat.

Hardy chased the man throughout the home until the victim was able to barricade himself in the bathroom. Hardy was unsuccessful in his attempts to force his way into the bathroom.

Eventually, Hardy went back to his bedroom and the victim was able to run outside and call police.

During the investigation, Hardy remarked that the victim had disrespected him for 40 years and he wanted to stab him once for every year he had disrespected him.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Hillsborough County Attorneys Zachary D. Charland and Laura M. Del Camp.