CHYUNG DENIED BOND, GETS PLEA OFFER IN NORWICH MURDER

Chihan Eric Chyung, whose conviction in the June 2, 2009, shooting death of his newlywed wife, Paige Anne Bennett, was overturned by the state Supreme Court in April, will remain in prison as he mulls an offer from the state to resolve his case without a second murder trial.

The 54-year-old former Norwich resident appeared Tuesday in New London Superior Court, where his attorney, Cheryl E. Heffernan, argued unsuccessfully for a reduction of his $3 million bond.

Chyung also received an offer Tuesday from prosecutor David J. Smith to plead guilty to manslaughter with a firearm in exchange for an undisclosed prison sentence rather than risk being sentenced to up to 60 years in prison if convicted of murder at trial. The maximum sentence for manslaughter with a firearm is 40 years in prison.

He is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 21, when his attorney will notify the court whether Chyung is accepting or rejecting the state’s plea offer. If he rejects the offer, the case likely would be scheduled for a re-trial by the end of the year. Judge Arthur C. Hadden likely would preside over the trial, which would take place in Superior Court in Norwich.

According to testimony and court documents, just 17 days after Chyung and Bennett were married, Chyung shot Bennett, 46, after the couple fought about expenses. Chyung, who testified in his own defense at his first trial in 2014, admitted he shot Bennett but claimed his Glock 9 mm discharged accidentally when he attempted to pack it in a suitcase and leave their Taftville home. The state contended he intentionally killed Bennett during a protracted argument.

A 12-member jury convicted