Mar 26, 2008
Second man arraigned for Kissel murder
|
The man accused of murdering backcountry resident Andrew Kissel was arraigned this afternoon at Stamford Superior Court.
Leonard Trujillo, 21, of Worcester, Mass. did not enter a plea during his brief appearance on Wednesday. He has been charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder and is being held in lieu of a $1 million bond. He is next due in court on April 4.
Mr. Trujillo’s cousin, Carlos, who served as Mr. Kissel’s driver and assistant, pleaded not guilty Monday to conspiracy to commit murder. He remains in jail on a $1 million bond and is expected to appear next in court on April 3.
Movers found Mr. Kissel’s body in his Dairy Road home on April 3. An autopsy found he had died as the result of multiple stab wounds and police reported finding no forced entry into his home.
Mr. Trujillo was arrested in Massachusetts on Saturday morning and was taken into custody by Greenwich police on Tuesday. He was brought to town, held overnight and then taken to court Wednesday morning. He does not have an attorney and was represented at the arraignment by Public Defender Benjamin Aponte.
Mr. Aponte is not expected to continue representing Mr. Trujillo and another attorney from the Public Defender’s Office will be assigned to him before April 4.
Several of Mr. Trujillo’s family members were in the courtroom on Wednesday and became emotional after the proceedings. One woman, who declined to be identified, tearfully told reporters, “We just want to deal with this right now. Please respect us enough to stay away from us right now.”
Carlos Trujillo’s attorney, Lindy Urso, also attended the arraignment. After court was out of session he said he had visited with his client on Tuesday and, “He’s doing as well as can be expected.”
The warrant in this case remains sealed. Mr. Urso said he expects a redacted copy, which would remove personal information about possible witnesses, to be released on April 3. Mr. Urso has reviewed it but is not legally able to reveal its contents as of now. He did say that his client’s story has not changed.
“Carlos still maintains he had absolutely nothing to do with it,” Mr. Urso said.
The case remains an open investigation of the Greenwich Police Department. Chief of Police David Ridberg said on Monday that information is still developing and the department is investigating whether anyone else was involved in the crime. No motive for the murder has been publicly discussed yet.
n kborsuk@greenwich-post.com
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
|
