Medical Examiner Releases Ruling in Death of Keith Morris

Stamford Patch- There was little information available from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Connecticut relating to the death of Keith Morris, the New Rochelle firefighter who died in a boating crash Sunday night as he drove four others home from a restaurant.




"We only give out two pieces of information to the public," said a representative at the office. "Ruling and cause."



What little was available only gave a glimpse into the night tragedy struck:



•Morris death was ruled accidental.

•Cause of death was drowning.

No toxicology reports or descriptions of physical injuries he may have suffered as a result of the crash that might have impeded his ability to swim following the flip were available.



Morris, 30, was driving four friends home to New Rochelle from the Crab Shell waterfront restaurant & bar on his boat at approximately 10:30 p.m. when he struck a breakwall and flipped the vessel in Long Island Sound, near the Stamford Lighthouse.



Two of the passengers were clinging to the boat, waiting for help to arrive while two of the passengers were inside the cabin when the boat flipped. They were trapped until rescue divers arrived, and eventually freed.



Divers searched for Morris throughout the evening, to no avail. His body would be recovered close to the scene of the crash the following afternoon in roughly 16 feet of water at low tide. He would've been covered by 24 feet of water and debris during high tide at the time of the crash.



New Rochelle firefighters are still struggling to cope with the loss. DiMeglio also said the firefighters in Morris' company has been dealing with things, a majority of the time, in their own way.



"We told them that we have resources available if they need them," DiMeglio said. "But, as of now, those resources aren't being utilized."



Funeral arrangements have been made with viewing hours for friends and family Thursday and Friday with a mass and interment on Saturday. Chief Louis DiMeglio said he would do everything in his power to help Morris' family.



"We just told the family that we'll do our best to comply with whatever their wishes are," said DiMeglio, who knew Morris well and worked with him closely.



The family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to “Butterflies from Jodie," the Jodie Torigian Charitable Fund, 31 President Street, New Rochelle, NY 10801.

R.I,P. Jimmy

The night before last an employee of Uncle Buck's Laundromat on Stillwater Avenue in Stamford was murdered.  My fiancee Joey lived on Stillwater last year. I was over his house all the time, and we did laundry together all the time at Uncle Buck's. I encountered the man that they had killed on a few occasions.  He was very lively and passionate, and I could tell he revolved his whole life around his job.  It is so incredibly disgusting to me that someone could murder him, without even knowing him at all, just for whatever few bucks they thought they could profit.  It's a disgrace.  Evil. Disgusting.  Just don't know what else to say.  It boggles the brain.



I wish that the video cameras were working that night, that they could really tell what had happened.  But it seems they weren't, and I hope that the real truth can come out somehow.


PEOPLE: SPEAK OUT!!!

Police: Cameras in Stamford laundromat were not operational during overnight homicide


STAMFORD -- Surveillance cameras at a Stillwater Avenue laundromat where a 50-year-old Stamford man was beaten to death during an apparent robbery were not operational, said police.

Stamford Police Lt. Diedrich Hohn said police have been investigating the death of James "Jimmy" Decrescenzo, of 26 Main St., who police believed died of blunt force trauma. Hohn said that even though the laundromat's cameras were not working, the investigation was not held up.



"We have now found out that the video cameras at Uncle Buck's laundromat were not working, which is unfortunate," said Hohn. "But police are now looking at hours of footage from surveillance cameras of businesses around the area to see if they can see the comings and goings around the area from the hours of 11 p.m. to 1:20 a.m."

The victim's body was discovered at about 1:20 a.m. Tuesday inside Uncle Buck's Laundromat, 118 Stillwater Ave. Hohn said the attack occurred sometime between 11 p.m. and the time that the body was discovered,. Hohn said the laundromat closes at 11 p.m. The instrument used in the assault is unknown.

Hohn said the official cause of death will be determined after an autopsy, which was expected to be completed Wednesday. Messages left with the state Medical Examiner's Office on Wednesday were not returned.

"I don't expect anything crazy to come out of the autopsy," said Hohn. "This was a cold-blooded homicide and police are doing everything they can to find the person responsible."

Police do not yet have a suspect or suspects in the homicide. Initial investigation shows evidence of a robbery of the victim and at the business, according to police.


A friend of Decrescenzo's, who preferred to go by just her first name, Joy, said the entire community was shocked by his death.

Decrescenzo had a side business washing other people's laundry at the laundromat, and knew almost everyone in the neighborhood, she said.

"Jimmy was such a kind--hearted person," Joy said Wednesday. "He was so helpful. If you had to do something, he would do your laundry for you. Jimmy was just that kind of guy. He was very well loved in the community."

An employee at Uncle Buck's Laundromat -- which reopened Wednesday after being closed all day Tuesday -- said she is going to miss Decrescenzo very much.

"I saw him every day," said the woman, who preferred to stay anonymous. "He was a good man."

A neighborhood man who was friends with Decrescenzo said he doesn't know anyone who didn't like "Jimmy."

"I can't say one bad thing about Jimmy," said the man, who also preferred to stay anonymous. "He was such a great person. I don't know why this happened."

Hohn echoed the community members' statements, saying it is apparent Decrescenzo was very well liked in the community, and police are now looking for any information from his neighbors or friends that can help the investigation.


"Police have been out canvassing the area, trying to see if anyone has any information on this homicide," said Hohn. "Hopefully someone will come forward with some information, but until then, we will continue to investigate with the information we have."

Decrescenzo's death was the city's third homicide of the year.

Police are asking anyone with information on the homicide to call (203) 977-441

Grenade found in Mill River Park

It figures... (Ooops!)

STAMFORD - Cleanup volunteers in Stamford discovered a grenade in Mill River Park today.




The grenade was found at around 11 o'clock. The volunteers initially thought the object was a broken bottle covered in mud.



Police say the Bomb squad was called in and the grenade was taken away to be X-rayed and possibly detonated.

Madonna Badger: 'I Couldn't Get In the Window' to Save Family'

NBC- In an exclusive interview with TODAY’s Matt Lauer that aired Thursday, Madonna Badger spoke out for the first time about the night she lost her family in a Connecticut house fire on Christmas.


The blaze, which officials believe started from embers that her boyfriend, Michael Borcina, had placed in a paper bag, engulfed her $1.7 million Victorian home in Stamford, Conn., claiming the lives of 7-year-old twins Grace and Sarah and 9-year-old Lily, as well as Badger’s parents.

When Badger awoke in bed the night of the fire, choking from the smoke, she did not hear an alarm.

“It was silent,’’ she said. “It was the scariest silence.’’



She climbed out the window. She recalled in harrowing detail her efforts to get back into the house. On her knees on the front porch looking through the windows, she realized she had a decision to make: "The windows were my mom and dad's windows. So I had to decide, 'Do I go in and save them? Or do I go save my children?' And so I ran the other way to save my children."


But scaffolding that had been set up for renovations prevented her from entering.


"I scrambled up the scaffolding to get to Grace's window. And I opened that window and the smoke that hit me, it was just the blackest, like an ocean. There was twirling and there was embers and all kinds of stuff in it. And I kept trying to hold my breath and put my head in...And I couldn't get in."



She saw her boyfriend Borcina fall out the back bedroom window as fire trucks arrived. His eyes, she said, had been burned shut. Still, he shouted to the girls through the windows to jump to him.


Badger never got a glimpse of her girls.




"It was the blackest smoke I've ever seen," she told Lauer. "If I could have seen them, I would have gone in. I mean, it's impossible to describe how it is that you can't go in and save your own children. But I couldn't get through that smoke. I couldn't."


Ten days after the fire, Badger spoke at her daughters' funeral.

Lauer asked what many wondered: How did she find the strength to eulogize her children, so soon after their deaths?

"I don't know," she replied. "I don't know. I think it was all God's grace. I have no idea."

Police: Death of Boy Who Fell From Apartment Window An Accident

STAMFORD ­-- Police have identified the 8-year-old boy killed Saturday evening after falling out a sixth-story window of a downtown senior housing complex.

Alexander Wu was unconscious when officers arrived at 11 North St. shortly after they were called to the 10-story building at 7:24 p.m., according to police.

Wu was immediately taken to Stamford Hospital with his father in the ambulance, and was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.

Police, who offered condolences to the family in a statement Sunday, said the incident remains under investigation, but the initial investigation suggests it was a tragic accident. An autopsy will be conducted by the state medical examiner, police said.

The family, which does not live in Connecticut, was apparently visiting relatives at Rippowam Manor. Witnesses told police he was playing with his sister in the hallway when he pushed a screen on an open window and fell through the opening onto an outdoor terrace six stories below.

Rippowam Manor is owned by the Stamford Housing Authority.

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.

 

Eyewitess News Channel 7 Tonight at 6PM!

Just a little while ago Joe and I grabbed lunch down in Shippan (Stamford) and drove down Shippan Avenue all the way to the end, near the pier, to eat.  I didn't even realize there would be news vans own there, but then again I forgot recently the Christmas Day house fire made news once again due to the recent findings that no criminal charges will be filed. 

The Eyewitess news anchor wanted to interview me, but I was too camera shy and caught a little too off-gaurd so I offered up my fiancee instead.  He gave a quick two minute interview basically accusing the city of demotiolishing the house too soon (to cover their ass, basically).

I will bootleg his interview and get it up as soon as possible!!

News Article here:

CNN-  A state prosecutor says he will not file criminal charges in the Stamford, Connecticut, house fire that killed three young girls and their grandparents on Christmas morning last year.


Stamford State's Attorney David I. Cohen said in a statement Friday that after a thorough examination of investigations conducted by Stamford's fire and police departments, including reports, interviews, photographs, seized evidence and autopsy data, there is "insufficient evidence" to bring criminal charges.

 The fire, which broke out around 5 a.m. Christmas Day, was probably caused by embers removed from a fireplace, Stamford Chief Fire Marshal Barry Callahan said.



According to Cohen, it remains unclear if smoke detectors were working in the home the night of the blaze, but some precautions were taken.



"While in hindsight, they were obviously insufficient, when viewed from the perspective of that night, they do not rise to the level of criminal negligence," he said.



Lily, 10, and 7-year-old twins Grace and Sarah Badger died in the fire along with their grandparents, Lomer and Pauline Johnson.

 The girls' mother, Madonna Badger, and a friend, Michael Borcina, were able to escape.





According to a legal notice submitted to the Stamford city clerk's office, Madonna Badger is suing the city for property damage, personal injury, negligence and civil rights violations.

 Two days after the fire, the city of Stamford determined the large Victorian home was unsafe and tore it down.

 Badger says the city and some of its employees destroyed her home and its contents, valued in excess of $3 million.



She adds that in destroying the remains of the house, the city destroyed evidence that could have helped bring closure to the tragic incident.



In his statement, Cohen said future fire investigations should be handled differently, suggesting that police and the state attorney's office should be contacted before any demolition of property, and that local fire marshals should contact state fire marshals for an outside perspective.

----------------------------------------

6:10 PM update:  They edited Joe out.  Bastards!

"When such a horrific event occurs, it is only natural that those related to the victims and the public in general want to hold someone responsible for what is otherwise an inexplicable accident," he said. "I am aware that many have emotionally judged this circumstance differently. That is understandable. There is no way that I could begin to conceive of the depth of loss by the Badger family."

Mother Plans to Sue City Over Fatal Blaze

STAMFORD -- The mother of three daughters killed in a Christmas morning house fire in December plans to sue the city, officials said Thursday.



Joseph Capalbo, Stamford's legal affairs director, confirmed that a Massachusetts attorney representing Madonna Badger sent a notice of intent to sue via certified mail to the city legal department and the town clerk Thursday. Capalbo said he could not comment on the contents of the notice because he hadn't seen it.



The notice was sent by Frank Corso, a personal injury attorney with offices in Boston and Rehoboth, Mass., who declined to comment Thursday afternoon.



"I'm unable to talk to you right now," Corso said, before hanging up.



Badger lost her parents and three daughters -- 9-year-old Lily and 7-year-old twins Sarah and Grace -- on Dec. 25 when a raging fire tore through her 116-year-old, three-story home on Shippan Point, an affluent waterfront community on Long Island Sound.



The notice from Badger adds to the growing collection of legal matters arising from the fatal fire.



Last month, attorneys for Matthew Badger, the estranged husband of Madonna Badger, filed a notice of intent to sue city officials for negligence in their inspections of the home before the fire. The notice further alleged that city building officials intentionally destroyed evidence when they demolished what was left of Madonna Badger's home a day after the fire.



At the time, Capalbo rebutted the claims in Matthew Badger's notice to sue and called the allegations "baseless and without merit."



In late April, an insurance company covering contractor Michael Borcina's company, Tiberias Construction, filed a lawsuit asking a New York state judge to release it from defending lawsuits and paying claims related to the fire because of alleged misrepresentations on his applications and yearly reports.



An initial investigation revealed the fire began after Borcina, a friend of Madonna Badger, cleaned out the fireplace shortly after 3 a.m., placing embers in a bag and leaving them inside a new mudroom, or just outside in an enclosed trash bin.



Borcina and Madonna Badger escaped the fire. The three girls and Madonna Badger's mother, Pauline Johnson, died from smoke inhalation. Her father, Lomer Johnson, died from blunt head trauma suffered in a fall outside a second-floor window and onto the roof.



Police and fire officials described the blaze as accidental and said no arrests were anticipated, but State's Attorney David Cohen has been reviewing an investigation of the fire since February and will make the decision whether criminal charges are filed.



A demolition crew tore the house down on Dec. 26. City Chief Building Official Robert DeMarco inspected what was left of the home with Stamford Fire Marshal Barry Callahan before declaring the building unsafe and issuing the order to have it razed.



DeMarco has said he checked with the city fire marshal's office before ordering the demolition.

Newtown Man Dies in Stamford Accident

STAMFORD -- A 46-year-old Newtown man who worked behind the scenes on numerous blockbuster films was killed in a head-on accident on the Merritt Parkway Friday evening.

Scott Getzinger, a property master who provided props for more than 25 films, including "Spider-Man," "Independence Day," "The Truman Show" and the upcoming "Men in Black III" and "The Dark Knight Rises," died at Stamford Hospital after sustaining severe injuries.

Getzinger suffered multiple broken bones, but was described as conscious and alert after being cut out of the 2002 Ford F-150 pickup truck he was driving. State police initially characterized his injuries as non-life threatening.

The accident was reported at 7:02 p.m. when a 1999 Lexus RX300 driven by Alexandra Orteig, 18, of New Canaan lost control while traveling south on the parkway near Exit 36 and spun around, striking the center median guardrail and crossing over the highway into the northbound lanes.

Getzinger was driving northbound in the right-hand lane when the Lexus SUV slammed head-on crushing the front-end of his truck.

Orteig and a 17-year-old passenger also from New Canaan were also taken to Stamford Hospital. Orteig was admitted overnight and released Saturday. The passenger was not admitted to the hospital.

The accident shut down both sides of the parkway in Stamford for about 90 minutes as volunteer firefighters from Turn of River Fire Department worked to cut Getzinger out of the truck and paramedics attended to all three victims.
State police said the accident is under investigation and no charges have been filed.

Getzinger's family declined to comment.

Madonna Badger, Mother In Deadly Connecticut Fire That Killed Five, Reportedly Attempts Suicide

Huffington Post- The mother who tragically lost her three young daughters and parents from a horrifying Christmas Day fire in Connecticut reportedly attempted to commit suicide last week, a relative told the Daily News.

Madonna Badger was hospitalized after the attempt, and a relative told the News, "She is okay...She is out (of the hospital) and somewhere safe. It's just terrible--nobody could really hold up well under the circumstances."

Badger and her contractor were the only two survivors to escape from the fatal fire that killed her children Lily, 10 and 7-year-old twins Grace and Sarah, as well as her parents Lormer and Pauline Johnson.

More than 500 mourners gathered for the funeral, where Badger referred to her daughters as her "girl tribe." During her eulogy, Badger told mourners:

My girls are in my heart. They're right here. And that's where they live now...In all the incomprehensible loss and chaos, all I can hang onto is that love is everything.

The relative said that Badger had seemed to be slowly coping with the tragedy, but "once all of that is gone and you're left to face what's happened, it's terrible."

The fire started from embers in a bag of ashes and destroyed the $1.725 million home that Badger had been renovating.

Worker Killed in Stamford Fall

STAMFORD - Officials are investigating if strong winds may have played a role in a deadly fall at a construction site in Stamford.

Police say Javier Salinas, 36, of Danbury, plunged 60 feet off the roof of the Chelsea Pierce Sports Complex, on the same property as the former Clairol building yesterday afternoon.

The site is near a facility slated for use by NBC Sports, an announcement made yesterday.

Cold Spring Road Murder-Suicide

[click picture or here for article published online *top right corner*]

December 25th, 1960: Lawrence Moser of 244 Cold Spring Road kills his two daughters, throws acid in his wife and her friends's faces, runs out of the house and kills himself.

Downtown Housing Development Clears Important Hurdle

This is that big open lot next to the mall that I've always wondered why is left to abandon- they are going to add another huge building now to downtown Stamford!

STAMFORD -- Having secured a critical approval from the Urban Redevelopment Commission, a plan to build a large-scale residential development on the corner of Tresser and Washington boulevards is now ready to go before the city's Zoning Board.

Since the summer, Greenfield Partners, a real estate investment company based in Norwalk, has been working to gain a series of city approvals for a plan that entails 350 rental apartments and nearly 11,000 square feet of ground floor live/work space at 75 Tresser Blvd., the former home of The Advocate.

Members of the URC voted unanimously Thursday to recommend the plan to the Zoning Board after hearing favorable comments from Kip Bergstrom, the URC's executive director, and Daniel Doern, an architectural consultant hired by the commission.

"This is an exciting building that will get talked about," Doern said.

The URC has authority over the designs of projects proposed for the Mill River Corridor, an area roughly bounded by Interstate-95, Mill River Street, Washington Boulevard and the University of Connecticut parking garage.

One question concerning the project was whether it met the commission's design criteria, which encourages high-rises along Washington Boulevard. The regulations call for maximum building heights of 125 feet. But tall structures require a more expensive steel-frame construction that have all but vanished in Stamford since the recession. Developers have instead turned their focus to wood-frame or "stick-built" buildings that typically top out at five stories.

As a result, the plan by Greenfield Partners calls for a roughly five-story building with facades and heights that vary as it wraps around the more residential sections of Tresser Boulevard and Clinton Avenue. Knowing that the city wanted an iconic building on one of its most high-profile corners, the developer proposed incorporating an 86-foot vertical light beacon that would slice through the building on Washington Boulevard.

The concept was similar to that used in a now-defunct residential project on West Park Place that was also under the URC's review. In September 2009, saddled with debt as a result of the housing crash, the developer, Archstone, sold its nearly two-acre plot of land to the city for $5 million. The property is now set to become part of Mill River Park.

Doern had worked on the Archstone project as the company's vice president of development. Now acting as a consultant, he told URC members that the current building similarly "satisfies the spirit" of the Mill River guidelines by achieving "prominence on Washington Boulevard."

In its approval, however, the URC placed a condition that the project should come back for its review should any of its final designs change. Thus far, Greenfield Partners has only submitted a general development plan. The next step would be an application for final site plan approval, which provides a more detailed project layout and usually represents the final step of the zoning process.

During the meeting, Bergstrom said that he believed the Archstone development was "fundamentally going to change the stick product in Stamford," he said, referring to wood-frame construction.

He then added, "I believe the same thing is going to happen with this project."

Christopher Simonelli in Court Today

Remember my little friend here that I heard about on the police scanner, my mom, the news, and then found on facebook?

Here he is boys! And he still has quite a following of supporters as I see by his wall. Good for them all, he needs all the support he can get.

I'm glad that the judge is being so harsh, he's right in the fact that this ordeal could have been devastatingly worse, in fact, it's almost a miracle it wasn't.

Again, my baby sister, mom, and grandmother all missed being in that chaos by only a minute or two.

Police: Box-trucker driver on PCP during East Side rampage

STAMFORD -- The city man who stole a box-truck from his employer and went on a destructive and violent drive through the East Side last month had drugs in his system when he was transported to Stamford Hospital, court records show.

Based on initial toxicology tests, police accident investigators believe Christopher Simonelli, 30, of Frederick Street, was on PCP during the alleged Nov. 16 rampage, which ended when he smashed into the side of a school bus carrying 27 Stamford High School students, injuring 12 of them.

Following a weeks-long investigation, Simonelli was arrested Thursday morning on a litany of felony charges, including several first-degree assault offenses and 25 counts of risk of injury to a minor.

Simonelli had been acting irrationally at his workplace before the incident, "posing topless" at work at one point, court papers show.

He stole the truck from his employer Action Letter, Inc., on Elm Court at 2:22 p.m. and then raced through the CTTransit bus maintenance facility there, police said.

The truck crashed through the rear gate of the CTTransit property, then hurtled north on Myrtle Avenue before turning west on East Main Street.

The accidents shut down a quarter-mile stretch of East Main Street from Glenbrook Road to Myrtle Avenue until 7:15 p.m., causing major gridlock throughout the downtown area.

A bearded Simonelli, who suffered life-threatening injuries and was extricated from the box-truck with power tools, made his court appearance in a wheelchair with a cut over his left eye and his right hand bandaged.

Defense attorney Lindy Urso said Simonelli broke both his legs in the series of car crashes. A search warrant included in his court file details his injuries, among them a broken right wrist, right thigh and right ankle.

State Superior Court Judge Richard Comerford ordered Simonelli be held on $150,000 bond, $50,000 higher than the amount requested by prosecutors.

Police arranged for Simonelli to be held at the University of Connecticut Medical Center in Farmington, a secure facility at which he can begin rehabilitating his serious injuries.

"This could have been many counts of manslaughter," Comerford said, explaining his reasons for increasing the bond amount. "This is a very serious matter."

A 15-year-old was seriously injured when Simonelli allegedly crashed into a car driven by her relatives, police said. She was originally transported to Stamford Hospital in critical condition because of a serious head injury, but her condition was quickly upgraded. She suffered a large cut to the left side of her head, above her left eye, that required 10 stitches and will likely leave a scar, court papers said.

A witness who followed Simonelli during his destructive drive told police he would accelerate after smashing into each car, saying that Simonelli was intentionally crashing into other vehicles, court papers show. The witness said Simonelli tried to reverse the box-truck after hitting a full-sized school bus, but the vehicle stalled because of extensive damage.

Three of the high school students on the bus were seriously injured. A male student who sat at the point of impact fractured his left shoulder blade. A female student lost consciousness as a result of the impact and kept passing out after Simonelli's alleged rampage. A second male student suffered a concussion in the crash and was told to refrain from sports for two weeks, court papers said.

Officers interviewed Simonelli's boss at Action Letter, Inc., Ellen Connery, an arrest warrant affidavit shows. She told police she saw Simonelli standing by his work station without his shirt sometime before the alleged rampage.

At one point, he took the keys for the truck and left the Elm Court business. She was unaware of any problems or arguments with Simonelli. In a follow-up interview, she said Simonelli was afraid of losing his job, but she had assured him he was not going to be laid off.

In addition to the initial drug tests, Stamford police investigators had a department mechanic inspect the box-truck. The mechanic could not check several objects because they were damaged, but he concluded the truck was well-maintained.

Simonelli is due back in court Jan. 11.

[check out video]

Stamford Police Officer Shot During Drug Raid

STAMFORD - Stamford police say they have a suspect in custody tonight after he shot a police officer in the face.

Officials say Officer Richard Gasparino was shot on Lockwood Avenue at around 5:30 p.m. while executing a drug raid. They say Gasparino is a member of the narcotics and organized crime squad.

Police say when Gasperino approached the door, the suspect opened fire and a bullet went through the door, striking him in the face.

Gasparino is at Stamford Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to authorities.

Police have not released the identity of the shooter.

Revised Contract for Mill River Park Approved

STAMFORD -- The Board of Finance approved contract changes for the Mill River Park renovation Wednesday, averting what organizers said could have been several months of delay if the measure had not moved forward.

The revised contract agreement, if passed by the Board of Representatives next month, would pay the project's chief contractor, Olin Partnership, an additional $108,000 for a redesign of the project's first phase. The roughly $13 million undertaking, which comes after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed $8 million of work in June, would redevelop the park from Broad Street to Main Street, installing utilities, promenades, lighting, landscaping and hundreds of trees. A second phase, from Main Street south to the cemetery at Richmond Hill Avenue, would be contingent on future financing, organizers from the Mill River Collaborative said.

The $108,000 comes from a pool of already approved funds, city officials said.

Mill River Collaborative Chairman Arthur Selkowitz said he was pleased with the decision of the board, which voted 5-to-1 to approve the changes. The move will encourage private donors and investors as the collaborative attempts to raise funding for the project, he said.

"I think the board's action today allows us to move forward aggressively on the private fundraising side," Selkowitz said. "It shows a vote of confidence in the project."

Selkowitz said the approval allows the collaborative to keep the renovation plan on its timeline, which projects breaking ground by spring, with construction complete by summer 2012.

The board's action was a turnaround from last month, when Republican Board of Finance Chairman Joe Tarzia chose to delay action on the request due to questions raised by Independent board member Kathleen Murphy on the project's financing. Murphy said she does not believe it was proper that the city advanced roughly $6 million to the Mill River renovation in city bonds, rather than via a special financing arrangement known as tax increment financing bonds. Such financing dedicates expected future tax revenue increases within a designated area -- in this case, property surrounding the park -- to finance debt issued to pay for the project.

Murphy, who voted against the contract change, said she did not believe those issues were resolved Wednesday. However, Tarzia said he was satisfied with a commitment from the city's finance chief, Fred Flynn, to sort the matter out by mid-March. Before the vote Wednesday, Tarzia said he wanted to "get this thing straightened out without moving backward."

Tarzia said a commitment on the part of city leaders that the project would, in the future, be financed through TIF bonding rather than general obligation bonds further reassured him.

In another matter, the board approved a revised list of capital projects slated to be financed with an upcoming issuance of $35 million in city bonds. In the most notable revision, city officials added aspects of the second phase of the Stamford Urban Transitway to the list. City officials previously said they would not allocate money to the South End road project until completing a thorough review of the first phase, which has had cost overruns and delays.

Flynn said Wednesday the administration changed its mind because it did not want to put federal funding for the project at risk.

"Part of it has to do with the commitment of federal money that we have, and we don't want to jeopardize that," Flynn said. "We can always substitute something else if our conclusion is there are higher priorities and more pressing issues than that."

Murphy raised objections to the change, saying the transitway should not be funded when schools are in urgent need of capital improvements. Republican Bob Kolenberg agreed.

The measure passed 4--2, with Murphy and Kolenberg casting the dissenting votes.

In other action, the board approved an additional $50,000 to finance an ongoing audit of alleged misconduct by city employees. The money would supplement $200,000 approved in previous votes, including $50,000 last month, to finance an investigation into alleged thefts of scrap metal at the city weigh station and thefts in the city finance department.

Flynn said he hopes the city will not need to spend the entire amount to conclude the investigation, while Tarzia said he expects the city will be able to recoup its expenses on the audit once it is complete.

However, the chairman of the board's Audit Committee, Democrat Tim Abbazia, said he could not support the additional money, as it had not been previously discussed.

The board approved the funding, 4--0, with the board's two Democrats, Abbazia and Mary Lou Rinaldi, abstaining from the vote.

Fire Officials: Worker in Serious Condition Following Industrial Accident

STAMFORD -- A worker at a Stamford-based metals recycling business is in serious condition Monday after he was struck in the head while operating one of the company's machines, according to fire officials.

The worker, whose identity has not been released, was operating a machine that processes various metals when either the machine or some of the metal he was working with struck him in the temple, just below his helmet, said Stamford Fire Capt. Eric Lorenz.

Emergency rescue personnel were dispatched to the business -- Rubino Brothers Inc. at 560 Canal St.-- at approximately 9:30 a.m., he said, when responders found the worker unconscious on scaffolding 30 feet above the ground. The scaffolding sits adjacent to the machine the employee was operating, Lorenz said, and enables workers to have access to the machine's controls.

Lorenz said the worker was operating the machine alone, and he was found unconscious below the machine's controls. None of the company's workers witnessed the accident, he said.

The worker, who fire officials noted was wearing all the necessary safety equipment, had a "pretty good welt" in the temple region, Lorenz said.

To rescue the employee, responders used ground ladders to climb up to the scaffolding, he said, and the worker was lowered in a rescue basket to ground level.

The employee, who was semi-conscious when he was transferred to Stamford Hospital, is in serious condition, Lorenz said.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been contacted and will be investigating the work-related accident, he said, which is standard with such incidents.

When asked if the worker normally operated the machine by himself, the general manager at Rubino Brothers Inc. declined to comment.

"We don't have all the information, so we're not commenting on it at this time," said Rocky Possidento.

No Arrest Yet in Murder of Restaurant Owner

Back in 1973, Joseph Pellicci was a member of a family that owned the Stamford restaurant named Pellicci's Restaurant. He was reported missing on February 4, 1973, his car found abandoned on Wyndover Road.

Ten days later two of his pistols were found on the ice covered Greenwich Reservoir. His body was eventually found on March 2nd in the town of North Salem, New York. He had been shot twice in the head.

It was revealed later that the lead investigator of the Pellicci murder case was on the payroll of a New York Mafia family. He died before he was convicted of various criminal charges. It is not known if the deceased detective had anything to do with this case not being solved. There are two suspects in this homicide, one has since died.

If you have any information about this cold case, please call the Stamford Police Department at 203-977-4417. There is a monetary reward.

2nd Captured EVP in Westover Cemetery?

Right BEFORE I say the last name "Cunliffe" I hear a female voice start to say it- I cut her off! On my computer I hear it clearly, but somehow when I listen to it on my boyfriend's IPhone it doesn't sound like a voice before mine. You be the judge!

Worker Killed in Trench by Concrete Slab

I was driving down North Street yesterday on my way to Party City in Port Chester to get a balloon for Kait's birthday when I was passed by a volunteer firefighter...

I drove down a little more and I see a road off of North Street bombarded with fire engines, cops, SUVs, anything they seem to have had available...

I was about to call my mother to ask if she heard anything on the online police scanner, when I see a text from her:
"FWD: The 911 Center: Greenwich- 2 MacPherson Drive. TRENCH RESCUE. Worker confirmed trapped beneath the soil"

Today I read in the paper that the worker died. Here's the article:

Greenwich Time- A man was killed Monday after a concrete slab collapsed on him, killing him instantly, as he worked below in a trench, officials said.

First Selectman Peter Tesei, who also serves as the fire commissioner, said the trapped man's hand was visible to rescuers, but he did not have a pulse when rescuers arrived at 2 MacPherson Drive around 3 p.m. The home, which neighbors said had been unoccupied for some time, was undergoing major renovations. Tesei said it appeared construction workers had dug the 7-foot trench to do utility work when a concrete slab underneath the front door of the home gave way.

"I think there is a great deal of shock and sadness anytime something like this happens, but particularly to see the effects," Tesei said. "It is disturbing nonetheless. It's sad."

A second worker who was in the area of the collapse sustained minor injuries during the accident and was taken to Greenwich Hospital. The names of both men were not released Monday, pending notification of their families. The man killed is believed to be under 30 years old, according to officials at the scene.

Specialized members of the Fire Department's trench rescue team responded, as well as volunteers from the Sound Beach Firehouse trench rescue team. Nearly two dozen firefighters were expected to work into the night to recover the man's body. Tesei said rescuers were being extra cautious so that no firefighters or other emergency workers were injured in the process.

As rescuers worked Monday evening, several bystanders who appeared to be either fellow workers or family members were seen crying and speaking with police before quickly leaving the area.

Neighbors who gathered outside the driveway of the home Monday said they were saddened to learn about the tragic accident.

"It is unfortunate," said Linda Richards, who lives with her husband Phil across the street from the accident scene. Richards said she thought all the emergency works on scene were there to deal with power outages when she first arrived home.

Timothy Nolan, another neighbor, said he knew the accident was serious when he saw a news helicopter overhead. "That is when it dawned on me something serious had happened," said Nolan, a retired surgeon. "Whenever you do construction, there is always the possibility of a catastrophe."

Both Richards and Nolan said they did not know who owned the home. Property records list several different names. There were no property tax records for the home listed online.

As of Monday evening, police and fire officials were awaiting the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner and representatives from the Occupational and Safety and Heath Administration to come investigate the incident.

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Construction Worker Who Died In Trench Accident Identified

GREENWICH — Police have released the identity of a construction worker killed when a trench collapsed Monday.

Eric F. Chincilla, 27, of Stamford was working at a house construction site on Macpherson Drive when the accident happened, police said. A second worker was injured.

Firefighters trained in trench rescues worked to save the two men, police said. The condition and identity of the second man was not released as of early Tuesday afternoon.

The accident is being investigated by the police department and Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors.