Overview
- Janina Brooke Murphy, 26, was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in a Burlington, Connecticut, home on March 29; investigators initially called the scene suspicious.
- On June 23 the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide caused by blunt force injury to the head, changing the probe from a suspicious death to a criminal investigation.
- Police arrested 28-year-old Cole Werhan on June 24 and charged him with murder; he is being held on a $5 million bond and is scheduled for additional court appearances.
- A 23-page arrest warrant alleges blood throughout the house, visible trauma on Murphy’s body, dried blood on Werhan’s clothing and that Werhan was the only other person in the home that night while giving an account to police.
- Court filings describe multiple prior domestic violence allegations against Werhan in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and state police are asking other possible victims to come forward and will accept confidential contacts as the investigation continues.