Judges Will Hear Murder Suspect's Insanity Argument

A three-judge panel will soon begin a hearing to determine whether a Wilton man accused of beating and stabbing his 73-year-old father to death was legally insane. Aaron Ramsey told investigators he heard voices and believed he was being chased by aliens after police found his father's body at the family home. The trial is set to begin Tuesday. Ramsay was charged with murder in the killing last May. The Advocate of Stamford reports Ramsey, who is at the Whiting Forensic Division of Connecticut Valley Hospital, has been examined by a psychiatrist. If he is found to be not guilty by reason of insanity caused by mental defect or deficiency, he will be sentenced to Whiting until he is found to be competent and no longer a danger.

Foxwoods, Union Contract Talks Near 1-Year Mark

Nearly a year after the previous labor agreement expired, Foxwoods Resort Casino and unionized dealers are still negotiating for a new contract. Local 2121 of the UAW says on its website that health care costs, pay raises and cleaner air in the casino are among the issues it is pushing. It says Foxwoods is demanding health insurance cost increases, a three-year wage freeze and the right to stop 401(k) match for employees for a year. The Day of New London reports that neither side is talking about the negotiations for a pact to replace the one that expired on Dec. 31, 2011. It took 14 months to reach that agreement. Revenue has been falling at Foxwoods and nearby Mohegan Sun due to the weak economy and rising casino competition.

Supreme Court Rejects Appeal Of Mentally Ill Suspect

The state Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of a mentally ill man ordered into state custody in 2010, after officials discovered to their shock that he had been released from a mental hospital 18 years earlier without their knowledge in connection with a 1991 murder. Justices on Monday upheld lower court rulings in the case of 79-year-old Pedro Custodio, who was found incompetent to stand trial in the 1991 shooting death of Waterbury neighbor Amerigo Pagan Cruz.  Custodio was sent to a mental hospital in 1992, but released later that year. Court officials in 2010 discovered that Custodio had been a free man for nearly two decades and he was rearrested. Custodio appealed his 2010 arrest and a judge's ruling ordering him into the custody of mental health officials.

2 Men Arrested On Drug Charges In Traffic Stop

Two men have been arrested after police found heroin and other drugs in a car during a motor vehicle stop. Police say Eric Bailey and Dale Sterpka both of Canaan, were stopped for going the wrong way down a one-way street Saturday night. Police say they found heroin, cocaine, prescription pills and drug paraphernalia in the car. The 33-year-old Bailey was charged with possession of a narcotic substance and possession of heroin, drug paraphernalia and a controlled substance. Sterpka, who is 29, was charged with possession of narcotics, heroin and drug paraphernalia, failure to carry registration and an insurance card and driving the wrong way on a one-way street.

Chief of Massachusetts Crime Lab Chosen To Lead Connecticut Lab

The director of the state crime lab in Massachusetts has been tapped to lead the troubled crime lab in Connecticut.  The appointment of Guy Vallaro as director of the state Forensic Science Laboratory was announced Monday. The Connecticut lab has struggled with a huge case backload and other problems identified in U.S. Justice Department audits. It won back its professional accreditation earlier this year. The crime lab currently led by Vallaro is separate from the Massachusetts Department of Health lab there where a chemist is accused of faking drug test results. Vallaro will begin his job in Connecticut in late December. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Vallaro will help restore Connecticut's lab as a national model. The state lab in Meriden is responsible for most of the forensic testing related to criminal investigations in Connecticut.

Police Say New Britain Man Set Fire In Apartment Dispute

 New Britain police say a city man has been arrested after admitting to starting a fire in a vacant multi-family home.  John DiPietro has been charged with arson and burglary in connection with the early Saturday blaze. Police say the 40-year-old DiPietro admitted to setting the blaze over a dispute about renting an apartment with the property owner. He is being held on $250,000 bond until his arraignment scheduled for Monday in New Britain Superior Court.

Connecticut Unemployment Ticked Up To 9 Percent In October

 Connecticut's unemployment rate ticked up slightly in October, returning to 9 percent after falling below that threshold in the summer. A state labor economist said that for the first time, jobs in Connecticut have declined from one year to the next. Joblessness rose from 8.9 percent in September. The state Labor Department said Monday a survey of business establishment payroll jobs estimates that Connecticut added 1,200 jobs to a workforce of 1.6 million. However, a household survey showed the small increase in the unemployment rate. State economist Andy Condon says the surveys have been volatile recently, with job growth rates slowing over the last six months. However, he thinks statistical revisions in March will show that 8,000 to 9,000 more jobs have been created in Connecticut than what are now reported.