Murder Trial Jury Deliberations to Continue

STAMFORD -- Jurors in the trial of a Greenwich man accused of shooting two gas station attendants in 2009, killing one of them, asked in state Superior Court in Stamford on Tuesday to review evidence and testimony.

During the trial of Alain LeConte, 24, jurors listened to testimony about three armed holdups he is accused of committing over a two-month period. He allegedly shot two convenience store clerks in the head, killing one in Norwalk and severely injuring another in Greenwich. LeConte is also charged with using a gun to rob a Stamford bodega.

He is facing more than 60 years in jail on the charges.

As they did earlier in the trial, jurors Tuesday heard a secretly taped jailhouse conversation involving LeConte, in which he admitted to many details of the crimes.

"I'm full throttle with this (expletive)," LeConte can be heard saying on the tape, referring to the time period immediately before the 2009 robbery of the Mobil on the Run gas station on East Putnam Avenue in Old Greenwich.

LeConte recalled how he rushed away from the Greenwich crime scene with an accomplice, later identified as Teran Nelson, and they sped toward Bridgeport "like it was a movie."

Nelson, the getaway driver in the robbery, took the stand previously in the trial.

Jurors listened Tuesday to a recording of his testimony.

Nelson testified he acted as a lookout outside the gas station while LeConte entered and, soon after, he heard a popping noise.

"When I heard the pop noise, I panicked and started to run," Nelson said.

Nelson has signed a cooperative agreement in the case, exchanging his testimony to reduced exposure to jail time.

Jurors once again saw video surveillance footage from the Greenwich crime and the Oct. 10, 2009, robbery at the West Avenue Shell station in Norwalk, in which a hooded suspect shot and killed gas station attendant Jose Joaquin Morales.

In surveillance footage from both crimes an armed man dressed in black aims a gun at the attendant.

The attendant in the Greenwich video can be seen exiting the store clutching his head after the man leaves.

David Wash, of Bridgeport, faces robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery charges in connection with the Greenwich crime.

Mustafa Jacobs is facing felony murder, robbery and conspiracy charges for his alleged role in Morales' murder.

Mark Phillips, LeConte's attorney, and Senior Assistant State's Attorney James Bernardi, the case prosecutor, both rested their cases last week.

Stamford Man Killed in I-95 Rollover

WESTPORT -- A Stamford man was killed after being ejected from a van following a three-car crash that closed all three southbound lanes on Interstate 95 for four hours late Thursday night into Friday morning, police and fire officials said.



Westport Fire Department Assistant Chief Larry Conklin said the man, identified Friday by state police as 37-year-old Carlos Flores of Stamford, was declared dead at the scene of the accident, which occurred at about 11:45 p.m., about 100 yards from the Norwalk city line.



With the three lanes closed, state troopers directed cars through the accident scene by routing them through the high-speed breakdown lane, Conklin said



According to a state police accident summary, Flores' van was traveling behind a Subaru Outback when it struck the rear of the Outback, causing the car to veer to the right and strike a metal beam guardrail.



The van then moved to the left but veered right again, striking a Nissan Altima in the center lane, causing it to spin around and end up on the median, state police said.



The 2001 Chevrolet van driven by Flores then went off the highway on the right, striking the metal guardrail and a light pole. The impact caused the van to roll over more than once, ending up on the driver's side, state police said.



Both Flores and his passenger were ejected from the van onto the roadway, and Flores was pronounced dead at the scene. The state police report indicates the men in the van were not wearing seat belts and their airbags did not deploy.



Flores' passenger, a 44-year-old Stamford man, was brought to Norwalk Hospital with non life-threatening injuries, officials said.



A Greenwich woman driving the Subaru complained of minor injuries and was transported to Norwalk Hospital as a precaution, state police said. The Westport man in the Nissan was not injured. Both of those drivers were alone in their cars.



The cause of the crash is still under investigation and no charges have been filed, state police said.

 

Stamford Police Officer Makes Progress

Still critical: Officer recovering from fall during chase

STAMFORD -- The Stamford police officer critically injured in a 20-foot fall from an Interstate 95 bridge abutment while chasing a robbery suspect in Norwalk early Thursday morning, continued to be listed in critical condition, but was showing encouraging signs of progress, according to officials.



Mayor Michael Pavia visited Officer Troy Strauser at Norwalk Hospital around noon Friday and said he was sitting up in bed and talking following a seven-and-a-half hour operation Thursday night. Strauser's injured arm was heavily bandaged and worn in a sling, and his face and nose were badly bruised, Pavia said.



"I thanked him for his service above and beyond," Pavia said Friday. "I also let him know how delighted I was to be talking to him and see the progress that he's made in a day. He is very respectful and a very good Stamford police officer. Just talking to him I felt proud."



Strauser suffered severe injuries to his face and right arm after falling onto a metal guardrail as he chased a 30-year-old Stratford man suspected of beating and robbing a Hispanic man at the corner of West Main and Diaz streets on the city's West Side shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday.



Strauser spotted a white BMW matching the suspect vehicle's description on West Main Street and pursued it as the driver, Frank Douglas, tried to evade, police said.



After chasing the car through Darien and into Norwalk, police rammed the car at the end of Exit 14 in Norwalk, and Strauser chased after Douglas who fled on foot toward Connecticut Avenue across the Fairfield Avenue bridge over I-95.



At the other side of the bridge, Douglas made a sharp left turn and ran across the bridge abutment to the level of the highway below. But because of some underbrush, Strauser didn't see the drop while running full speed toward Douglas, police said.



Strauser, 38, was immediately transported by police to Norwalk Hospital where he has undergone three emergency surgeries.



Pavia, who said he went by to see the I-95 bridge where Strauser fell, said the officer was in "good spirits" and surrounded by friends and family. A steady stream of police officers have been visiting him since Thursday.



"I know it was touch and go in the beginning," Pavia said. "When his accident first occurred everybody was extremely concerned. I was just delighted to see his condition and proud to be with him."



Strauser, of Fairfield, has three young children and has been a member of the Stamford police force for the past six years.



Following an arraignment hearing for Douglas, Stamford police Sgt. Joseph Kennedy, president of the Stamford police union, stood with dozens of city police officers outside the courthouse on Friday afternoon and said he felt encouraged that Strauser successfully underwent three surgeries over the past 18 hours.



Still, he called the injuries "horrific," and said Strauser needs to ward off infections from internal injuries during the next three days.



"These are the brother and sister officers of Troy Strauser," Kennedy said, moments after Douglas was arraigned on a litany of charges from the incident. "He's a friend and he's a family man. He's one of us."



Kennedy said the police force felt frustrated over Strauser's injuries, adding that he does foresee him returning to the department some day. Kennedy said he could not provide more information about Strauser's medical condition.



"I see him back on the job, but I just don't have the expertise," Kennedy said. "I'd be non-qualified to tell about his recovery time."