Affidavit: Teen accused of attempted murder cut off GPS device
NEW HAVEN — A judge ordered the Guilford teen accused of repeatedly stabbing a Greenwich woman outside a Westport salon in January to be placed on a mental health watch after he was arraigned Tuesday on new charges.
Ellis Tibere, 19, was arrested Sunday in Guilford on charges of violating conditions of his release and first-degree criminal mischief.
Police Chief Warren “Butch” Hyatt said Tibere removed his GPS monitor, which he is required to wear due to the pending Westport case, and left his family’s Guilford property, where he had been on house arrest.
Officers and his parents found him shortly afterward, Hyatt said. He said the criminal mischief charge was because Tibere tampered with the device.
According to an arrest affidavit from Sgt. Kurt Fasulo, a probation officer notified police that Tibere had removed the monitor on Sunday. Tibere’s mother reported he had “cut off the two bracelets” and left the home, according to the affidavit.
As officers traveled to the home, Tibere’s mother reported he had been found by his father on a nearby trail, the affidavit said.
“Ellis was reported to be armed with a knife and was reportedly taking on a persona named ‘Jackson’ while speaking with his father,” Fasulo wrote in the affidavit.
Officers found what they described as a kitchen-style knife with a 4-inch blade in the snow a short distance away, the affidavit said.
Tibere’s father said his son did not indicate he intended to harm himself or others, according to the affidavit. Tibere did not respond to questions from police or his father when he was found, the affidavit said.
During Tuesday’s arraignment, defense attorney John Gulash asked Judge Patrick Clifford for a mental health evaluation for his client to address “current significant psychiatric needs.”
Tibere, appearing by video conference from a jail cell, said he opposed a mental health watch. He also said he waived his right to an attorney.
Despite Tibere’s opposition, Clifford approved the mental health watch and continued the case to Jan. 4.
Tibere’s parents watched Tuesday’s court proceedings via video conference at the New Haven courthouse. They declined to comment following the hearing.
Clifford transferred the case to state Superior Court in Stamford, where Tibere was originally scheduled to appear Tuesday on charges of attempted murder, firstdegree assault and possession of a deadly weapon. Those charges are connected with the January incident in Westport.
Tibere will appear in Stamford court on Wednesday when Gulash said he expects prosecutors to request a judge to increase the
$250,000 bond his client is being held on following Sunday’s arrest.
Tibere had been free on a
$1 million bond after being discharged in May from a state psychiatric hospital.
Since his release, Tibere has been under house arrest living with his parents in Guilford. He had been found competent to stand trial.
Apsychologist at the Middletown institute where Tibere stayed from February through May told the judge prior to Tibere’s release that he did not require further hospitalization and did not pose a significant risk.