New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Ansonia man accused of killing wife with ax gets 45-year plea offer
MILFORD — A plea offer in the case of an Ansonia man accused of killing his wife in a 2021 ax attack witnessed by the couple’s 3year-old son calls for him to serve 45 years in prison.
Milford State’s Attorney Margaret Kelley formally put the plea offer on the record Tuesday before Judge Kevin Russo in the case of Kamil Zielinski, who police say killed his wife Grace Zielinska Nov. 9, 2021 while the couple’s 3-year-old and 4month old were in the family’s Root Avenue home.
Kelley said she had met with the victim’s family on two prior occasions and that they were aware of the offer for Zielinski, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and risk of injury.
“It’s an offer that they understand but they do not necessarily agree with,” Kelley said. “They would have liked to have seen an offer of more time for Mr. Zielinski, but that is the offer that the state is making today.”
Zielinski, who is scheduled to return to court March 21, has undergone several psychiatric evaluations while the case has been pending. He was found competent to stand trial in the case last year.
His lawyer, David Thompson, declined to comment outside the courtroom.
Zielinski has been behind bars since his arrest following the killing and is currently being held at Garner Correctional Institution in lieu of $1 million bond.
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 an outcry from domestic violence victims’ advocates.
In the Naugatuck Valley, The Umbrella Center for Domestic
Violence Services can be reached by phone at 203-7369944, 203-789-8104 or 888774-2900 or online. Statewide domestic violence resources can be reached by calling or texting 888-774-2900 or online at CTSafeConnect.org