Mary Ellen Welsh, 62, [REMAINS DISCOVERED] New Britain CT, 3/30/08

[Audie]

http://www.wfsb.com/2008/0331/15746982_240X180.jpg

Woman Missing Hours After Home Invasion

Police Question Man About New Britain Home Invasion After Chase, Crash
POSTED: 12:26 pm EDT March 30, 2008
UPDATED: 12:33 am EDT March 31, 2008


NEW BRITAIN, Conn. -- A woman battling cancer is missing after a man invaded a New Britain home and shot the homeowner on Sunday, police said. Authorities later arrested the man after a brief chase into Watertown.

New Britain police said an armed man unknown to the victims made his way into a house along Woodhaven Drive near Slater Road just before 10 a.m. Police said the man shot the homeowner before abducting her guest, Mary Ellen Welsh, 62, of New Britain. According to police, Welsh has been undergoing treatments for cancer.

"A black male came in unannounced and uninvited and at some point shot the victim," New Britain police Sgt. Darren Pearson said. "The victim was able to get out of the house and call 911 from a neighbor."

The man abducted Welsh and forced her into her own vehicle, a Honda Passport, after the alleged shooting, police said.

Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Ray Daudani reported that police arrested a man at about 2:30 p.m. after a chase that began in Plymouth, led through Thomaston and ended in Watertown -- more than 20 miles from the home in New Britain. Police did not find Welsh inside the vehicle.

Watertown police were called and positioned for backup, helping to take Williams into custody. The vehicle flipped over in the 900 block of Main Street in Watertown, where state police arrested the man -- later identified by New Britain police as Leslie Williams, 31 -- and charged him with several motor vehicle violations, including being in possession of the Welsh's minivan.

"He didn't care, he didn't have any concern for others and just went flying by," said Eddie Crocco, a witness in Watertown. "I was just a little bit in awe and shock. I'm just glad they got him off the road."

There was no immediate sign of Welsh immediately after the crash or in the hours thereafter. State and local police continued searching for Walsh late into the evening from on the ground and in the air.

Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Erika Arias reported the stolen minivan sat broken and smashed on French Street in Watertown when an Eyewitness News camera arrived at the scene.

Williams was transported to New Britain, where police said he will face much more serious charges.

Heavy Police Presence Responds To Home Invasion

Eyewitness News pictures recorded from the scene showed a heavy police presence at the scene on Woodhaven Drive in New Britain throughout the day and night as officers sealed with crime tape an area around the house.

"SWAT guys were coming, flying across and she didn't know what the heck was going on," said Kevin Kelsey, a neighbor.

"All I see is the whole police department in front of my house," said Chanthana Acosta, a neighbor.

Those who knew the victims told Eyewitness News that the two were good friends, saying both women were the nicest women you'd ever meet.

"They were very, very good friends. Mary Ellen would come over there for coffee every morning. She was here always every day," said Cynthia Manchak, a friend who went with both women to the Bushnell on Saturday night for a show.

The shooting victim was transported to an area hospital, where she was last listed in serious condition. Daudani reported that she has spoken with police and is expected to survive.

"I just can't believe something like that could happen," said Solenge Thivault, of New Britain. "It's a very scary feeling."

Anyone with information should call the New Stay with Eyewitness News for the breaking details on this story.Britain Police Department at 860-826-3000 or 860-826-3065.

http://www.wfsb.com/news/15744939/detail.html

[Audie]

http://images.ibsys.com/2008/0331/15746981_180X135.jpg
Leslie Williams

http://www.wfsb.com/2008/0331/15747690_240X180.jpg
WATERTOWN -- A chase after an SUV believed to belong to the victim of a home invasion and an abduction begins in Plymouth, leads through Thomaston and ends in Watertown.

[Audie]

The link posted above, also has a small slide show and videos.

[Roamer]

I hope they can get him to tell where she is.

[Audie]

From the news story, the chase began in Plymouth, (presuming on hwy 6), thru Thomaston and ended on Main St in Watertown. I mapquested 14 Woodhaven Dr in New Britain to Plymouth. It used hwy 72 to hwy 6 and showed 16 miles in 31 minutes. He could have gone hwy 6 the whole way also. Not knowing where he was from when he left the house to when the chase started makes it hard. We don't know how long he was in the house or how long the chase lasted, but I'm guessing he had about 4 hours to put her somewhere.

New Britain police said an armed man unknown to the victims made his way into a house along Woodhaven Drive near Slater Road just before 10 a.m.

On one of the videos, a reporter says about 9 am.

Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Ray Daudani reported that police arrested a man at about 2:30 p.m. after a chase that began in Plymouth, led through Thomaston and ended in Watertown -- more than 20 miles from the home in New Britain. Police did not find Welsh inside the vehicle.

I'd like to know where he lives and areas that he is real familiar with. She might be around there. I'm also curious to know if she had a cell phone and, if so, where it is.

[Grande]

Woman's Body Found In Bristol
POLICE INVESTIGATE a home invasion at 14 Woodhaven Drive in New Britain Sunday.
By HILDA MUÑOZ | Courant Staff Writer
10:20 AM EDT, March 31, 2008

BRISTOL - A 62-year-old woman who was kidnapped Sunday morning during a home invasion at her friend's home on Woodhaven Drive in New Britain has been found shot to death in Bristol, police said.

New Britain police had been looking for Mary Ellen Welsh since her friend, Carol Larese, called police to say she had been shot by an intruder. Larese is expected to recover from her injuries.

Police have charged Leslie Williams, 31, in connection with the home invasion and are preparing a warrant charging him with Welsh's homicide, police said.

He faces a single count each of criminal attempt to commit murder, first-degree robbery, first-degree kidnapping with a firearm, first-degree burglary, first-degree assault, criminal use of a firearm, criminal possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit and third degree larceny.

Williams was taken into custody Sunday after police found him driving Welsh's Honda Passport. He was charged with larceny by possession and several motor vehicle violations, police said. He crashed during a police chase that started in Plymouth and ended in Watertown, police said.

Police said it appears Williams acted alone and that it was a crime of opportunity.

According to police, friends and neighbors, Larese called 911 from 17 Woodhaven Drive about 10 a.m. Sunday and reported that she had been shot by an intruder. Police had been in the area and responded quickly, but when they got there the intruder, Welsh and her white Honda Passport were gone, police said.

Later, Plymouth police spotted the SUV on Route 6 and chased it. The car crashed in Watertown, flipping onto its roof. The driver, who resembled the description of the intruder, was taken into custody for questioning. He was later identified as Williams.

http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hcu-nbbodyfound,0,1380196.story

[Grande]

20 min 42 sec ago
Police in CT find body of missing woman

(NECN) - Police in New Britain, Connecticut have apparently found the body of a woman who had been missing since a home invasion yesterday.

62-year-old Mary Ellen Welsh disappeared after a break-in occurred between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. Sunday at a home on Woodhaven Drive. Welsh was visiting a friend at the home when the homeowner says an armed man broke in, wounded the homeowner and took Welsh away in her car.

The car was found after a chase in the town of Watertown, Connecticut, but there was no sign of Welsh.

Police Sgt. Darren Pearson says Welsh's body was found in Bristol, about 10 miles from New Britain. She had apparently been shot and killed.

A 31-year-old man, identified by police as Leslie Williams, has been arrested as a suspect in the case.

http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/Police-in-CT-find-body-of-missing-woman/1206972964.html

[Audie]

I did a search for Leslie Williams in New Britain on whitepages.com. All it came up with was an L Williams.

Searching for Leslie williams in Conn, came up with 9 Leslies. Some are female, i'm sure. I'd like to know his age.

I see she has been found in Bristol. Let me bring up the link and post it.

ETA: Thanks Grande. So sad.

[Grande]

I did a search for Leslie Williams in New Britain on whitepages.com. All it came up with was an L Williams.

Searching for Leslie williams in Conn, came up with 9 Leslies. Some are female, i'm sure. I'd like to know his age.

I see she has been found in Bristol. Let me bring up the link and post it.

ETA: Thanks Grande. So sad.

Leslie is 31.

I checked White Pages too, got the same result you did. County Clerk's records are not avaiable online either unfortunately.

[Audie]

Leslie is 31.

I checked White Pages too, got the same result you did. County Clerk's records are not avaiable online either unfortunately.That L Williams lives just 3.4 miles south of the Woodhaven Dr home. I wonder if that's him.

[Audie]

Abducted Woman Found Dead In Bristol
Police: Man Invades New Britain Home, Shoots Woman, Abducts Another

POSTED: 10:06 am EDT March 31, 2008
UPDATED: 10:59 am EDT March 31, 2008

BRISTOL, Conn. -- The search for a woman abducted in a New Britain home invasion ended after officials discovered her body almost 12 hours later in a quarry in Bristol, police said.

New Britain police said Mary Ellen Welsh was found shot dead in Bristol, almost 10 miles away from where she was visiting a friend in New Britain.

Eyewitness News has learned that police found Welsh's body in a quarry Sunday night. Police declined to release further information about the investigation and what may have led them to the quarry.

Welsh, who was battling cancer, was missing after a man invaded the home on Woodhaven Drive and shot the homeowner just before 10 a.m. on Sunday, police said.

Investigators said the man shot the homeowner -- identified by police on Monday as Carol Larese, 65 -- before abducting Welsh, 62, of New Britain, forcing her into her own sport utility vehicle. Larese remained hospitalized at Hartford Hospital, last listed in serious condition and she is expected to survive.

Authorities later arrested the man after a brief chase into Watertown. State police charged the man, Leslie Williams, 31, with motor vehicle violations related to the larceny of Welsh's SUV.

New Britain police announced on Monday additional charges against Williams that include criminal attempt to commit murder, first-degree robbery, first-degree kidnapping with a firearm, first-degree burglary, first-degree assault, criminal use of a firearm, criminal possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit and third-degree larceny.

Police said the additional charges, except larceny of the minivan, pertain to alleged acts against Larese. Police said they anticipate more charges against Williams as they continue to obtain an arrest warrant in Welsh's case.

Investigators said it appears that Williams acted alone and that it appears to have been a crime of opportunity.

"A black male came in unannounced and uninvited and at some point shot the victim," New Britain police Sgt. Darren Pearson said. "The victim was able to get out of the house and call 911 from a neighbor."

Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Ray Daudani reported that police arrested a man at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday after a chase that began in Plymouth, led through Thomaston and ended in Watertown -- more than 20 miles from the home in New Britain. Police did not find Welsh inside the vehicle. The vehicle flipped over in the 900 block of Main Street in Watertown, where police arrested Williams.

"He didn't care, he didn't have any concern for others and just went flying by," said Eddie Crocco, a witness in Watertown. "I was just a little bit in awe and shock. I'm just glad they got him off the road."

Eyewitness News has learned that Williams was released on March 4 from the Osborn Correctional Institution in Somers after fully serving a nine-year sentence on a sex assault conviction.

There was no immediate sign of Welsh immediately after the crash or in the hours thereafter. State and local police continued searching for Walsh late into the evening from on the ground and in the air.

Those who knew the victims told Eyewitness News that the two were good friends, saying both women were the nicest women you'd ever meet.

"They were very, very good friends. Mary Ellen would come over there for coffee every morning. She was here always every day," said Cynthia Manchak, a friend who went with both women to the Bushnell on Saturday night for a show.

Anyone with information should call the New Britain Police Department at 860-826-3000 or 860-826-3065.

Stay with Eyewitness News for the breaking details on this story.

http://www.wfsb.com/news/15750143/detail.html

[Audie]

So they found her last night, about 12 hours ago. I wonder if he told them where she was.

The search for a woman abducted in a New Britain home invasion ended after officials discovered her body almost 12 hours later in a quarry in Bristol, police said.

[Roamer]

That's very sad. I hope they throw the book at him on every one of the charges. Is CT a DP state?

RIP, Mary Ellen :1222423:

[Audie]

Criminal attempt to commit murder
First-degree robbery
First-degree kidnapping with a firearm
First-degree burglary
First-degree assault
Criminal use of a firearm
Criminal possession of a firearm
Carrying a pistol without a permit
Third degree larceny (Welsh's SUV).
Probably numerous motor vehicle violations relating to the chase.

And now a murder charge.

And maybe some sort of a repeat offender charge?

Eyewitness News has learned that Williams was released on March 4 from the Osborn Correctional Institution in Somers after fully serving a nine-year sentence on a sex assault conviction.

I wonder if he sexually assaulted her. He had time. I hate to even think about that.

JMO

[Roamer]

March 4th. Didn't even take him a month before he did this. :mad:

[Audie]

Police Find Body Of Woman Missing After Home Invasion
STEPHEN SINGER, Associated Press Writer
March 31, 2008, 11:40 AM EDT

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (AP) - A convicted felon released from prison earlier this month will face charges in the death of a cancer patient who was abducted while visiting a friend on Sunday, police said Monday.

MaryEllen Welsh, 62, was found in a wooded area of Bristol, about 10 miles from New Britain. She had apparently been shot, New Britain police said.

She was visiting a friend in New Britain between 9 and 10 a.m. Sunday when someone broke into the house, Sgt. Darren Pearson said.

The friend she was visiting, identified as Carol Larese, 65, was shot and badly wounded but is expected to recover.

Authorities arrested Leslie Williams, 31, when he crashed Welsh's car in Watertown after a police chase about five hours after the home invasion.

Williams has been charged with criminal attempt to commit murder, robbery, kidnapping with a firearm and other crimes connected with what happened to Larese, Pearson said. He said police are preparing to charge him in connection with crimes against Welsh. Williams was expected to be in court on Monday.

Pearson said it appears Williams acted alone in what he called a "crime of opportunity." Police said Welsh had been undergoing treatment for cancer and had a port in her chest.

Williams was released March 4 from the medium-security Osborne Correctional Institution in Somers after serving eight years in prison for convictions in 2000 of sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor, according to state Department of Correction records.

Brian Garnett, a correction spokesman, said Monday that Williams was disciplined twice in prison for making threats, once for violating provisions of a program there, and once for tampering with security.

He was denied parole in March 2006, and was placed on five years probation when he was released from prison this month, Garnett said.

According to the state sex offender registry, he lives in Hartford.

Cynthia Holland, a friend of the victims, said Monday that the two were having coffee when the home invasion happened.

"She's a lovely person," Holland said of Welsh.

http://fox61.trb.com/wtic-0331nbhomeinvasion,0,5472617.story

[Audie]

I found this, but it's 3 years old. Concerning the DP in Conn.

http://www.cga.ct.gov/2005/rpt/2005-R-0136.htm

eta:
Eligible if:
5. murders a kidnapped person and is the kidnapper.

[KittyMom]

Bless her heart. I read that she was battling cancer. This is just heart breaking.

[Roamer]

I found this, but it's 3 years old. Concerning the DP in Conn.

http://www.cga.ct.gov/2005/rpt/2005-R-0136.htm

eta:
Eligible if:
5. murders a kidnapped person and is the kidnapper.

Fits him perfectly and then some.

Thanks, Audie.

[packy]

This is beyond sad. One month after he gets out he does this. Throw the book at him.

[Grande]

Probable-Cause Hearing Waived In Home Invasion Case
By BILL LEUKHARDT | Courant Staff Writer
May 29, 2008

NEW BRITAIN — - A convicted sex offender charged with a March 30 home invasion that left a retired court worker severely wounded and her cancer-stricken friend raped and killed opted in court Wednesday not to have a probable-cause hearing on the evidence used to arrest him.

The decision by suspect Leslie Williams, 31, puts his case in motion for an eventual trial on capital felony charges that could place him on death row. He is due back July 24 for a pretrial hearing in Superior Court in New Britain.

Williams, released from jail in early March after serving an eight-year term for molesting a child, is being held without bail since his arrest in Watertown on March 30. He was fleeing from police when he lost control of the stolen car, which was owned by one of the victims.

Court records state that Williams burst into the New Britain home of Carol Larese, 65, seconds after her friend Mary Ellen Welsh, 62, had walked in to have coffee with Larese. Williams, who was on a weekend robbery spree and had spent the night sleeping in an unlocked parked car in a nearby driveway, shot Larese in the head and assaulted then abducted Welsh, court records state.

Welsh's body was found in a sand pit in Bristol. Welsh, a cancer patient, had been shot, court records state. Police are still seeking the gun used in the crime.

During the brief session Wednesday, Judge Joan Alexander ruled that Williams' post-arrest statement to police will remain sealed until the defense attorneys have a chance to have a hearing on suppressing contents of that statement.

Friends of the victims were in court to observe the proceedings but declined comment afterward.

The judge and the lawyers also decided that Williams should be able to receive a fair trial in New Britain court, even though Larese had worked in that same court in support services until her retirement several years ago.

"I do not believe there is a conflict of interest," Alexander said.

Williams, wearing a bright yellow prison jumpsuit, shackled and watched by four burly correction officers, said little in court, replying "yes" or "no" to routine questions the judge asked about his understanding of the actions in the courtroom.

In court, the judge took care of some minor issues arising from the case. She noted that a car that Williams allegedly stole from an Avon home during a burglary prior to the New Britain home invasion can be returned to its owner.

She also said some jewelry taken from that home could be returned. But she declined to release a stolen cellphone to its owner, saying that police need time to further examine that device for any evidence, including calls Williams may have made on it.

Contact Bill Leukhardt at bleukhardt@courant.com.

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-homeinvade0529.artmay29,0,5460398.story

[Grande]

http://i30.tinypic.com/29fwy1.jpg

Name: WILLIAMS, LESLIE T
Aliases:
DOB: 15-JUN-1976 SPBI #: 644488
Registration
Address: DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
DOC, CT xxxxx
Race: Black Eyes: BRO Hair: BLK Sex: M
Height: 601 Weight: 180
Scars, Marks, Tattoos:
Date Registered: 04-MAR-2008 Date last verified:


Crime Requiring Registration Description Date Convicted
53a-71(a)(4) SX ASLT 2-MINOR 06-MAR-2000
53-21(2) Injury or risk of injury to or impairing morals of children 06-MAR-2000
http://www.sor.state.ct.us/pls/sor/wsor$offender.queryview?P_SPBI_ID=644488&Z_CHK=33603