SHOOTING VICTIM ID
NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP) – Police have identified a Florida man who was found shot to death last weekend in a New London apartment. City police responded to a report of a shooting at the basement apartment on Orchard Street Saturday afternoon. Twenty-one-year-old Quvonte Gray was found with a gunshot wound to the head. Gray was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say he was a Florida resident who frequently visited New London. Police said this week they’re trying to track down an 18-year-old to ask him about the shooting. No suspects have been named. The investigation is ongoing.
CONVICTED MURDERER SEEKS NEW TRIAL
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) – A Connecticut man convicted of killing and dismembering his girlfriend has asked for a new trial, citing possible juror misconduct. A lawyer for Jermaine Richards made the request Tuesday in Bridgeport Superior Court. A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 19. A jury convicted Richards of murder in September in the killing of 20-year-old Alyssiah Wiley, a student at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic. Two previous trials ended with deadlocked juries. Wiley’s remains were found in Trumbull in 2013 about a month after she was last seen with Richards outside her Willimantic dorm room. Richards lived in Bridgeport just over a mile from where the body was found. The juror misconduct claims allege a juror posted about the case on social media and the same juror knows people who know Richards.
NPU CHIEF ON MEDICAL LEAVE
Norwich Public Utilities General Manager John Bilda is out on medical leave until after January 1st. NPU spokesman Chris Riley says Bilda has been out since November 24th, and didn’t disclose any details as to why Bilda took the leave, citing privacy laws. Current NPU administrators are overseeing the utility in his absence. Bilda was one of five city officials to be found by the Norwich Ethics Commission of violating municipal ethics rules in the Derbygate scandal. Bilda apologized for his role in the controversy and made a 15-thousand dollar donation to the TVCCA Energy Assistance Program in September.
NL CONSIDERING PAY-BY-BAG GARBAGE REMOVAL
New London residents may soon be paying for garbage removal “by the bag”. The city council is scheduled to discuss in January whether New London should adopt a “pay as you throw” system. City Public Works director Brian Sear says the idea has been examined over the past year and a half, and is expected to reduce garbage removal costs, while encouraging more recycling. Residents would have to purchase specially-marked bags to toss their garbage. A similar program is being used successfully in Stonington.
AUTISTIC TEEN DEATH “PREVENTABLE”
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – An investigation has found that the death of an autistic Connecticut teenager from malnutrition was preventable and there were problems with the state child welfare agency. The state Child Advocate’s Office released a report Tuesday on the February death of 17-year-old Matthew Tirado, of Hartford. When he died, the 5-foot-9-inch-tall Matthew weighed less than 90 pounds. Police charged Matthew’s mother with manslaughter and cruelty to persons. The child advocate’s report says the state Department of Children and Families closed a neglect case involving Matthew Tirado a month before his death, after his mother refused for months to let a DCF worker see him. DCF Commissioner Joette Katz says her agency lacked authority to force his mother to allow access to the boy.
