4 weeks ago
A convicted rapist was charged pinch execution and attempted intersexual battle Friday successful nan sidesplitting of a visiting caregiver astatine a Connecticut halfway location for activity offenders successful October — a crime that spurred calls for amended information measures for location wellness attraction workers.
Authorities added nan charges against Michael Reese, 39, arsenic he appeared successful authorities tribunal successful Danielson for a related larceny and supplier paraphernalia case. Police arrested him connected those allegations arsenic he was leaving nan Willimantic halfway location connected nan time erstwhile Joyce Grayson was recovered dormant successful nan basement connected Oct. 28. Officers said Reese had immoderate of Grayson’s possessions connected him.
Grayson, a 63-year-old mother of six and a caregiver for 36 years, had gone to nan location to administer medicine to Reese. Police responded location erstwhile personification reported she had missed later appointments.
Reese was charged pinch murder, felony execution and attempted first-degree intersexual assault, according to nan tribunal clerk’s office. Additional specifications of nan allegations were not instantly available.
Reese’s nationalist defender did not instantly return telephone and emails messages seeking remark Friday.
Grayson’s family was relieved that nan execution complaint was filed, said their lawyer, Kelly Reardon.
“They would for illustration to convey nan constabulary for gathering nan grounds needed to, hopefully, guarantee that Michael Reese is convicted of this horrific and senseless crime,” Reardon said successful a statement.
New specifications of nan sidesplitting emerged Friday pinch nan merchandise of nan apprehension warrant for Reese. Grayson was strangled and was recovered naked from nan waist down, isolated from for her socks, according to nan warrant. She besides had blunt-force injuries to her head, torso and extremities, nan warrant said, citing an autopsy by nan main aesculapian examiner’s office.
Testing besides showed that DNA recovered connected Grayson’s assemblage was highly apt Reese’s DNA, nan warrant said.
Grayson’s girl called constabulary to petition a well-being cheque aft Grayson missed immoderate appointments aft Reese, nan warrant said. The girl said she utilized a telephone location app and it said Grayson was astatine nan reside of nan halfway house, according to nan document.
Police besides said nan Department of Correction recorded telephone calls Reese made while detained connected nan larceny and supplier paraphernalia charges that look to implicate him successful nan killing.
“Basically, bro, it was a robbery gone wrong, bro. A robbery gone accident, that’s it,” Reese said connected 1 of nan calls, according to nan warrant.
In different telephone conversation, Reese said he had started utilizing narcotics again and it led him to do “what happened,” nan warrant said. He besides said that he would return a plea bargain, according to nan document.
“I’m going to return nan first connection that they springiness maine arsenic agelong arsenic nan charges are right,” he said, according to nan warrant. “I don’t care, like, I’m, I’ve already travel to position that this is it for me.”
Grayson was a caregiver for nan Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services for 26 years earlier serving arsenic a visiting caregiver for complete a decade, according to her family. She besides was a beloved foster parent, taking successful astir 3 twelve children and being honored pinch nan state’s Foster Parent of nan Year grant successful 2017.
After her death, authorities and national lawmakers renewed pushes to forestall unit against wellness attraction workers.
Reese, who was connected probation aft serving much than 14 years successful situation for stabbing and sexually assaulting a female successful 2006 successful New Haven, was taken into constabulary custody while leaving nan halfway location connected nan time Grayson was killed. He was released from situation successful precocious 2020 and was sent backmost to detention 2 times for violating probation, authorities records show.
Authorities said he had immoderate of Grayson’s belongings, including in installments cards, and was charged pinch violating probation, larceny and utilizing supplier paraphernalia.
The warrant said he drove Grayson’s car to a slope and a section convenience shop and utilized Grayson’s debit paper to retreat much than $400 earlier returning to nan location and getting arrested. Police said surveillance video showed Reese astatine nan slope and store, and his GPS monitoring instrumentality for his probation showed him adjacent those locations astatine nan aforesaid times.
A judge connected Friday group bail astatine $2 cardinal connected nan caller charges. Reese has been detained connected bail since his arrest. He is owed backmost successful tribunal connected June 7.
Reardon said Grayson’s family, who judge her decease was preventable, will soon beryllium filing a lawsuit. She declined to sanction nan defendants, but has said nan family is seeking answers to an array of questions including if location were failures of oversight of Reese by nan state, including probation officials, and nan institution that runs nan halfway house.
The authorities Judicial Branch, which oversees probation, says it does not remark connected cases involving imaginable litigation.
The family besides wants to cognize whether Grayson’s employer, Elara Caring, adequately protected her. Elara’s president and main executive, Scott Powers, has said institution workers were shocked and saddened complete Grayson’s death, and nan institution was reviewing existing information protocols.
