CLOSING ARGUMENTS NOW SCHEDULED FOR THURSDAY IN NORWICH GOTH TRIAL

Closing arguments in the trial of Kristopher Prudhomme have been scheduled for Thursday morning in New London Superior Court.

Defense attorney Damon A.R. Kirschbaum called his last witness, Norwich Detective Kevin Wilbur, before resting his case Tuesday afternoon.

Prudhomme told Judge Barbara Bailey Jongbloed he won’t be testifying in his own defense.

The 30-year-old Houston, Texas, man is charged with strangling his housemate, Michael Lovering, on Oct. 22, 2016, and leaving him in an unnatural position for more than 12 hours. Lovering lost circulation to his legs and had to have them amputated. According to testimony, Prudhomme was angry after Lovering admitted he had sex with Prudhomme’s girlfriend, Lauren Muskus.

Prudhomme has pleaded not guilty to first-degree assault, second-degree assault, intentional cruelty to persons and tampering with evidence. The defense contends Lovering was suicidal and highly intoxicated when he suffered the injuries, and assert that Prudhomme, who is a high-functioning autistic person, may not have responded in a normal way to the situation.

The jury of six regular members and three alternates, which began hearing evidence in November, will have today off. The six regular jurors will begin deliberating following the closing arguments and the judge’s instruction on the law. her mother and can’t be located, according to court officials.

Norwich police arrested Romilus, 30, then of 5 Grove St., Norwich, in April 2018 and charged him with two counts of first-degree sexual assault and one count of risk of injury to a minor.

During an appearance Tuesday in New London Superior Court, prosecutor Lawrence J. Tytla said the state would be entering a “nolle” in the case, meaning the state will not prosecute him, due to the missing witness.

Romilus had been free on a written promise to appear in court while his case was pending.

Police said they were called to a city elementary school in December 2017 after a girl reported the alleged sexual abuse. The girl told police she was sexually assaulted when she was 5 or 6 years old and again when she was 7 years old, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

The child was known to Romilus, police said.