Warrant: Father saw son fatally stab Wilton neighbor, drag body to garage
WILTON — Police say a father witnessed his son stab a neighbor and drag the man’s body into the garage Tuesday morning in the town’s first homicide in at least a decade.
Sebastian Andrews, 31, of Indian Hill Road, was arraigned Wednesday on a murder charge in state Superior Court in Stamford where a judge increased his bond to $2 million.
Wilton police said he fatally stabbed Arinzechukwu Ukachukwu, 39, who lived behind Andrews on Partrick Lane.
Police said Andrews’ father called 911 around 11:15 a.m. Tuesday when he looked out his window and saw his neighbor being attacked in his driveway. According to the arrest warrant, the man “saw his youngest son, Sebastian Andrews, stabbing the victim.”
“He further stated he then saw his son Sebastian Andrews drag the victim into the garage,” the warrant stated.
Police responded to the scene where they found Ukachukwu “appearing to have succumbed to multiple stab wounds,” Wilton Deputy Police Chief Robert Cipolla said in a statement Wednesday.
Police said the last homicide in Wilton, an affluent suburb of less than 19,000 residents, occurred around 11 or 12 years ago.
“As this is unfolding, you know, one of the messages we want to stress is that this is a safe community,” Cipolla said. “In a very tragic situation, in a difficult situation for our officers to respond to, they did a fantastic job in bringing it to a resolve quickly.”
Andrews appeared remotely at the arraignment from the holding cell at state Superior Court in Stamford. As the proceeding unfolded, Andrews moved about restlessly and mumbled incoherently on the screen.
During the hearing, bail services recommended the bond be reduced to $500,000, citing his lack of an arrest record.
Stamford State’s Attorney Paul Ferencek, however, argued for bond to remain at $1 million.
Attorney Kevin Black, who represents Andrews, asked Judge Kevin Randolph to adopt the bail recommendation.
Black said he “understands the safety concerns” regarding his client, but asked for Randolph’s mercy in light of Andrews’ mental health issues and lack of a criminal record.
Randolph ultimately decided to double the bond to $2 million. If Andrews posts bond, he will be required to wear a GPS device and face intensive probation monitoring. He will also be prohibited from staying at his parents’ house in Wilton.
Andrews is next expected to appear in court on May 17.
Cipolla said police do not have any history of incidents between the two men.
“They’re neighbors, they’re familiar with each other, but nothing that we’ve been called for to address,” he said in an interview.
During the 911 call, Andrews’ father said he believed the suspect was his son because he appeared to be wearing the same green-gray jacket and a brown-orange hat he had on earlier when he saw him “pacing” outside, the warrant stated.
At the Partrick Lane home, police found a “blood trail” in the driveway leading into the garage, where they found Ukachukwu’s body lying next to a vehicle, according to the warrant. His body had “extensive trauma” with wounds to his hands and back, the warrant stated.
After witnessing the incident, police said Andrews’ father said he ran to Ukachukwu’s home, but his son was no longer there.
“With information from the witness that he believed his son was the offender, officers established a perimeter around the suspect’s residence on Indian Hill Road,” Cipolla said Wednesday. “(Andrews) would eventually emerge from the residence and was detained without incident.”
Andrews claimed to the officer who initially detained him that he acted in “self-defense,” the warrant stated.
Police noted Andrews had bandages all over his face and hands, as well as “fresh scratches” on the right side of his head above his ear, according to the warrant.
When questioned, Andrews told police he went to Ukachukwu’s property to ask for a “wedge,” but also claimed he found “them trespassing on his property several times, specifically in his attic,” the warrant stated. He also claimed Ukachukwu “took him to the garage” and was “about to hit him with something,” so he attacked the man with a knife from his kitchen, the warrant stated.