New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Judge orders evaluation of Ansonia man accused of killing his wife
MILFORD — A judge ordered an Ansonia man accused of stabbing his wife to death to undergo an evaluation to determine whether he is competent to stand trial.
The suspect, 30-yearold Kamil Zielinski, has been behind bars since his arrest following the Nov. 9, 2021, killing of his wife, Grace Zielinska, while the couple’s 3-year-old and 4month-old were in the family’s Root Avenue home and a 5-year-old was at school.
In recent months a Glastonbury-based psychologist has been working on a report on Zielinski at the request of his lawyer, Adrian Baron.
During a remote court appearance before Judge Peter Brown Thursday, Baron said the psychologist is waiting to receive medical records from Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown, where Zielinski is being held, before completing the report.
Baron also asked the judge to order a competency evaluation pursuant to state law for the purpose of determining whether Zielinski understands the proceedings against him and can assist in his defense.
“We thought it would be prudent for that to be done,” Baron said, following his prior observations and meetings with Zielinski.
The judge granted the lawyer’s request and continued the case to April 4 for the results of the evaluation to be reviewed.
Zielinski has been charged with murder and risk of injury to a minor in the case. He has pleaded not guilty.
Police said they were called to the couple’s home Nov. 9, 2021 following a 911 call during which a dispatcher could hear yelling and commotion in the background, but the caller was not speaking, according to a police report.
Officers responding to the scene arrived to find the couple’s 3-year-old son, according to the report, which says the boy told them “Come in” and pointed to the kitchen.
Inside, they found Zielinski standing in front of his wife, “who was sitting on the ground covered in blood from a brutal assault,” the report states.
Blood covered Zielinski’s face, hands, and clothes, according to the report, which says a knife and bloody ax were also found nearby.
Zielinska’s killing prompted domestic violence victims’ advocates to take a closer look at the issue locally.
In the Naugatuck Valley, The Umbrella Center for Domestic Violence Services can be reached by phone at 203-736-9944, 203-789-8104 or 888-7742900 or online. Statewide domestic violence resources can be reached by calling or texting 888-7742900 or online at www.CTSafeConnect.org.