Investigators returned to the site of the killing on a number of occasions to look for evidence, once calling in FBI experts to help with the search. Retracing the path of controversial Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe includes many stops in Connecticut. According to the affidavit, he allegedly claimed he just wanted to speak to Millan but then "'something happened' and the next thing he knew he had stabbed her in the chest with a knife he was carrying," the documents said. Leverett will be sentenced on May 3. Little was said publicly about the killing in the years after Milans death, but police and town officials had once offered a $40,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer. The Connecticut domestic violence hotline can be reached 24/7 at 888-774-2900, or 844-831-9200 for Spanish speakers. Photo by Scot Allyn/Register Citizen Staff, The back of the apartment that was the site of an apparent shooting in Simsbury. "I'm here to turn myself in for the murder on Iron Horse Boulevard almost 4 years ago," he allegedly told police, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. William W. Leverett, 30, entered the . I used to see them pushing him in a stroller that looked like a truck. Clad in a yellow jumpsuit, Leverett offered short answers to Prats questions about the deal, which Supervisory Assistant States Attorney Vicki Melchiorre said included 10 years of special parole after the 35-year prison term. In October 2020, Leverett was offered a 35-year prison sentence and 10 years parole in a plea deal. ', West Haven mayor under fire after city is left without a finance director at start of budget season, Wallingford BOE votes to consolidate Sheehan, Lyman Hall high schools into one building, The Best Private High Schools near New Haven, Guide to Legal Cannabis Dispensaries in CT, The Best Private Preschools Near New Haven. Sign up for the FOX61 newsletters:Morning Forecast, Morning Headlines, Evening Headlines. "I never knew their names, but it seemed like they were working. "Officers from Avon and Simsbury assembled to make contact with the occupants of the apartment," Boulter wrote. The man accused of fatally stabbing an insurance company executive while she was running on a trail in Simsbury pleaded guilty to murder on Tuesday. Prats said it is unclear when his case will go before a jury because trials have been placed on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic. The killing of Melissa Millan in 2014 shocked the town of Simsbury, Conn. An insurance executive and mother of two, Ms. Millan, 54, was stabbed while jogging and was found bloodied on a boulevard. Police have not yet provided an update in the investigation as of Tuesday. Id like to see him released alive, Simon said. SIMSBURY, Conn. (WTNH) - The Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the double shooting that left a husband and wife dead a murder-suicide. He has health problems, including a condition that thickens his blood and makes him more susceptible to strokes, and heart disease. He always looked happy and I never heard them argue. Judge Shaves Four Years Off Simsbury Mans, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Welcome to the new courant.com: Whats changed, FAQs and more, Judge Shaves Four Years Off Simsbury Mans 50-Year Sentence For Murder, CT continues to prosecute some marijuana cases despite legalization, Madina Academy raises funds for Turkey, Syria earthquake relief, CT still borrowing to pay off debt, but some are pushing back, $122 million spending plan proposed for Simsbury, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Since his arrest and subsequent conviction for the killing of Cynthia Mitchell 26 years ago, Mark Downey has been a model prisoner and turned his life around, his lawyers told a Hartford judge on Tuesday. William. Police found those notes and that same day Leverett led investigators to a barn where he threw a bloody glove. And more importantly, should tuition go toward supporting bars around the XL Center? Leverett pleaded. Police officers were dispatched to the scene, and the dipatcher then heard several gunshots, the report said. It was clear this was not an accidental shooting, Alexander said. Trazinski's wife and co-pastor, Colette Trazinksi, called Leverett "a faithful member of the church. A former Windsor Locks man pleaded guilty this week to murdering a female jogger on a Simsbury Greenway path in 2014 and faces a likely sentence of 35 years in prison, a prosecutor says. The Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence offers services and advocates 24/7 by visiting CTSafeConnect.org or calling or texting 888-774-2900. Mr. Leverett is expected to appear in court on Oct. 9. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. All rights reserved, High of 50 Thursday; Wintry Mix to Move in Friday Night, Plan for Canton Cannabis Dispensary Gets Approval, Avelo Says Airline Will Work to Improve Communication After NBC CT Responds Report, Hunter Accused of Killing 2 Pet Dogs in Ridgefield Appears in Court, Wintry Mix to Move in Friday Night, Snow and Sleet Accumulation Possible, Better Health: Dr. Katherine Rotker Discusses Vasectomy Procedure, NBC & Telemundo Connecticut Job Opportunities. The Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Linda Halligan's death a homicide from gunshot wounds. Its not clear how that will impact his release date, which is now estimated to be February 2030. On the night of Sept. 19, the parents of. Their relationship was not working out, and Beth was trying to move back home with us.". SIMSBURY, CT Two people are dead following a domestic violence shooting in Simsbury on Sunday night, according to police. Ms. Trazinski told Mr. Leverett that she remembered hearing reports of the crime. So its not only us, but the whole community has been affected by this.. He had been held on a $2 million bond. Scot Allyn can be reached by e-mail at sallyn@registercitizen.com or by phone at 860-489-3121, Ext. Visit us online at www.foothillsmediagroup.com, or on facebook.com/foothillsmediagroup. A Connecticut State Police crime lab truck pulled up about 11:25 p.m. on the walkway between her apartment and the one in which the couple was found, she said. I guess they pretty much kept to themselves. Beth Day and Michael Wawrzyniak, who lived at the Meadows Apartments, 71 Hopmeadow St., were found by Simsbury Police, shot to death in their home Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 8:25 p.m., moments after a dispatcher heard gunshots during a 911 call from Day. He can be reached atdstewart@fox61.com. At the start of the trial, the defense asked the court to ignore Downeys statements to police that the shooting was accidental because they obviously conflicted with the forensic evidence. Funeral arrangements for both Wawrzyniak and Day have been set for this week. Mr. Leverett told the police that on the night of the murder, he had written letters confessing to the crime, though he never sent them. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, which was posted online by Fox 61, a local news outlet, Mr. Leverett told the police that on the night of the murder, he had come from a sex offenders therapy group. Baldini agreed to reduce Downeys sentence by four years. He did not know her but was attracted to her physical features and decided to park his car and approach her, the affidavit said. Elizabeth, or "Beth" as she was known by those close to her, is remembered as a loving mother of her 14-month-old son Dominik, a talented student, and a valued employee at Ocean State Job Lot where she worked for six years, according to her obituary. William Leverette, a convicted sex offender, walked into Simsbury CT police department and confessed to killing Melissa Millan in 2014. According to a police affidavit, he told the authorities that he had spotted the woman while she was jogging and was attracted to her, but went into a frenzy as he approached her, and then stabbed her. Leverett said he heard Milan say: Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, before she went quiet, records show. SIMSBURY A teen escaped a home where police say two people died in a domestic violence shooting on Sunday. . Leverett said he was shaking and crying, and that he fled the area, the documents said. "We knew what we had to do. The manner of death for her husband, 59-year-old Bernard Halligan Jr., was ruled a suicide. Her son with Wawrzyniak is staying with Day's parents. Nicholas Rondinone can be reached at nrondinone@courant.com. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 3. It was the nature of the injury and the nature of the weapon involved.. Two people have died. SIMSBURY The deaths of a husband and wife on Sunday have been ruled a murder-suicide, officials said. Milan and Leverett had never met before the violent encounter, according to police. He appeared before Superior Court Judge Shelia M. Prats via a video link from the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield. Davis classified the incident as a domestic violence shooting. HARTFORD, Conn. A man charged with the 2014 murder of a Simsbury mother has pleaded guilty, court documents show. Trending Watch 24/7 NBC CT Weather Blog 70 Years of NBC Connecticut NBC CT's The Connection CT Live . Melchiorre told the judge that a three-year sentence reduction was appropriate, given Downeys efforts to better himself in prison and the fact the conviction for murder was his first crime. The telephone messages around 7:30 p.m. Sunday said that those in the area should please remain inside your residences and await further information.. He is remembered as a caring and compassionate person who loved the outdoors and spending time with his friends and family, according to his obituary. By clicking Accept all you agree that Yahoo and our partners will process your personal information, and use technologies such as cookies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights, and product development. The man accused of fatally stabbing an insurance company executive while she was running on a trail in Simsbury pleaded guilty to murder on Tuesday. The case broke on Sept. 19, 2018, when Leverett, a registered sex offender working as an assistant manager at Fresh Market in Avon, went to the Simsbury Police Department to confess to the killing, arrest records show. Leverett was ordered held on $2 million bond at his initial appearance Monday in Enfield Superior Court on a murder charge in the November 2014 death of 54-year-old Melissa Millan, a senior vice . "It's such a shame," she said. Simsbury's last shooting fatality was in 2001, according to Boulter. In the wake of a tragic murder-suicide in Simsbury last week, family and friends are mourning the loss of a young couple whose lives ended abruptly. He said he wiped the blood off the boots he wore that night and continued to wear them for several months before donating them to a Goodwill, the document said. Its a very safe community, Davis said on Sunday. Authorities continue to investigate what theyre classifying as a domestic violence shooting at a Weatogue home in Simsbury, Conn., on Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021. But I never heard them fight.". "It's very sad. Friends and neighbors are grieving after a murder-suicide involving a couple in Simsbury. Bernard Halligan, Jr.'s death was ruled a s. Simon and DeCaprio argued that their client was too drunk at the time to realize the effect of his statements to police. "Perhaps it was a misinterpretation and they meant his grandfather," Wawrzyniak told Simsbury Patch. Simsbury double fatal shooting ruled a murder-suicide 00:00 00:00 An unknown error has occurred The Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Linda Halligan's death a homicide from. The evidence also showed that there was no possibility of ricochet and that the gun was fired about a foot away from Mitchell. You can change your choices at any time by visiting your privacy controls. Davis said responding officers found Linda Halligan and carried her to an ambulance and rushed to St. Francis Hospital, where she died. At the police station, he opened up to investigators about how the victim was "way out of my league," said his "anger escalated," and "the next thing he knew he had stabbed her in the chest," according to document. Justice needed to be done.". This is a carousel. "I was sitting in my living room, watching baseball on television, when I heard the voices," she said. At the time of the crime, Simon said, Downey had a very serious alcohol problem, and to my mind thats why this crime happened.. pointed a gun at Day and pulled the trigger, reported that Dominik's father was still active in his life. ', Second winter storm could hit parts of CT Friday, National Weather Service says, 'Saturday Night Live' skit with Woody Harrelson takes place at Naval Submarine Base New London, Los Charros Cantina closes in Essex, will relocate to Branford, CT girls basketball top performers (Feb. 28), 5 CT companies hiring for 100 or more positions, CT DOT faces criticism following overnight tree-cutting: 'Who'd you notify before you went and cut it? Downey, his hair thinned and cut close, still towers over his lawyers. Both lives were taken when Wawrzyniak pointed a gun at Day and pulled the trigger before turning the gun on himself at the couple's apartment at The Meadows complex in the Weatogue neighborhood of Simsbury. He stated that he wanted to go for a walk along the path near Iron Horse Boulevard in hopes of finding someone to talk with, the affidavit continued. Friends may call at the Ahern Funeral Home, 111 Main Street, Route 4, Unionville on Tuesday, Sept. 25, from 11 a.m. 1 p.m. Funeral services will be held in the Ahern Funeral Home at 1 pm with the Rev. On November 20, 2014, Simsbury police responded to a report of a female pedestrian lying in the roadway on Iron Horse Boulevard shortly after 8 p.m. Simsbury police are investigating a shooting on Woodleigh Place in Weatogue. a Hartford Superior Court jury took a little more than two days to convict Downey . Neighbors at The Meadows apartment complex where the couple lived for approximately 18 months remember a quiet couple whom they often saw spending time with their son. She also cautioned him that with his rejection Tuesday the deal is permanently withdrawn. Leverett allegedly said "he began thinking about a possible interaction with her," but became "anxious, realizing that 'I (Leverett) can't have her' and that 'she's way out of my league," the documents said. Snediker's sister, Karen Graham, died in her home in June. Officers were called to the scene late Sunday afternoon. The former Windsor Locks man who rejected a plea bargain this week in the murder of a female jogger on a Simsbury Greenway path in 2014 won't . Day leaves behind her parents Jimmy and Joanie (Anasoulis) Day, of Canton, her brother, Jim and her sister, Stephanie. Investigating officers eventually found 59-year-old Bernard Halligan Jr. dead in the garage of the home, Davis said. William Leverett, a convicted sex offender, is accused of killing 54-year-old Melissa Millan in November 2014. He moved to Simsbury. SIMSBURY -- A young Simsbury couple died Wednesday evening, the apparent victims of a murder-suicide. I think my hands were shaking at this point. "I never met them, so I didn't know their names. James Gill, the state's chief medical examiner, on Tuesday said 57-year-old Linda Halligan's death was ruled a homicide. 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