A former Connecticut Republican official charged with murder for allegedly shooting and killing a tenant will stand trial next year.
Ellen Wink, 61, is accused of fatally shooting 54-year-old Kurt Lametta inside a home on Nelson Avenue in 2022. Wink owned the residence and Lametta lived there.
The state's chief medical examiner said Lametta died from gunshot wounds to the torso and ruled his death a homicide.
The prosecution and defense met at Stamford Superior Court on Tuesday to discuss scheduling for the trial. Wink waived her appearance.
The trial is scheduled to begin on May 19 of next year, with jury selection starting on May 6.
After the shooting, Wink told a dispatcher that Lametta came at her, according to a police report obtained by Stamford Advocate.
Wink also allegedly told a responding officer that she had fired a revolver registered to her five times at Lametta.
During previous court hearings, Wink's attorney Stephan Seeger said she was afraid of Lametta. Seeger said he has obtained an audio recording of Lametta threatening Wink and using homophobic and antisemitic language.
Prosecutors said Wink was not in danger and they also have video evidence to support their case. Lametta was recording the dispute between him and Wink that resulted in his death, according to prosecutors.
In June of 2023, Wink rejected a plea deal from the prosecution. She was offered 40 years in prison in exchange for pleading guilty.
If Wink is convicted by a jury, she faces up to 60 years in prison.
Wink has been on house arrest with GPS monitoring since September 2022, after posting 10% of her $2.5 million bond in cash. She was fired from her position as Republican deputy registrar for the City of Norwalk after being charged with murder.
Wink was originally on house arrest in the home where the shooting happened, but she sold it in 2023.
Laws on disclosing whether a property is a "murder home" vary by state, real estate agent Kate Joynt told Realtor.com. In Connecticut, sellers are only required to disclose that information if the buyer or their lawyer asks.
Joynt showed Wink's home to a client but was unaware of the killing that happened there until their lawyer asked. She recalled the owner being at home during visits to the property.
"We just thought it was bizarre, but some people say, 'Do it around me, this is my life.' There are those people that choose not to leave during showings," Joynt said. "But it turns out she was under house arrest and couldn't leave."
Her client decided not to buy the property after learning about the fatal shooting.
Do you have a story Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.
English (US) ·