ACCUSED KILLER APPEARS IN COURT
A 28-year-old man accused of fatally stabbing Travon Brown on Dec. 17 in New London made his first appearance Tuesday in the New London court where major crimes are tried.
Jerome I. Hudson is charged with murder and is being held in lieu of $1.25 million at the Bridgeport Correctional Center.
Police said they found Brown, 27, of 74 Blackhall St. suffering from stab wounds on Sunday, Dec. 17, at about 2:30 p.m. in a house near the intersection of Grand and Elm streets.
Emergency personnel took Brown to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner performed an autopsy and ruled his death a homicide caused by stab wounds to the torso, with perforations of his heart and left lung.
Members of the Brown’s family attended Tuesday’s court appearance and sat quietly on the left side of the courtroom. Supporters of Hudson sat on the right side of the courtroom, and as he was led back into the lockup area said, “We love you, bro.” He responded that he loved them, too.
New London police arrested Hudson on unrelated charges on the day of the homicide, according to court records. He was presented in court and ordered held in lieu of $125,000 for first-degree violation of conditional release, tampering with physical evidence and possession of less than a half-ounce of marijuana.
Police charged Hudson with murder on Dec. 22. The arrest warrant detailing the case against him will remain sealed at least through Friday.
Christa L. Baker, a senior assistant state’s attorney, will be prosecuting the case. Hudson cannot afford an attorney and will be assigned one through the public defender’s office prior to his next court date, which is Jan. 19. He is not expected to enter a plea in the case until he and his attorney decide whether the defense wants the state to prove at a probable cause hearing that it has enough evidence to prosecute him. As a murder defendant, he faces up to 60 years in prison, which is considered a life sentence in Connecticut, and is entitled to a probable cause hearing within 60 days of his arrest.
In addition to the December charges, Hudson also is accused of narcotics crimes dating back to Nov. 30. In that case, he is charged with possession of less than a half-ounce of cannabis, operation of a drug factory and possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to court records, Hudson has previous convictions dating back to 2010, including interfering with police, third-degree criminal mischief and unlawful restraint. He received suspended prison sentences and periods of probation in those cases. In 2014, he was sentenced to 10 months in prison, followed by two years of probation, for an incident in which he assaulted two police officers in New London in June 2013.