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Woman Allegedly Killed By Ex-Boyfriend In Presence Of Her Kids, Days After Restraining Order Issued
Ewen Dewitt, 42, is charged with murder and violating a restraining order for the death of 40-year-old Julie Minogue in front of two of her children, Milford police said.
A Connecticut man is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend—possibly attacking her with an axe—in front of her two children just days after she was granted a restraining order against him.
Ewen Dewitt, 42, is facing charges of murder, reckless endangerment and risk of injury, according to the Milford Police Department. He’s also accused of criminal violation of a criminal protective order and a restraining order. He was arraigned at the Connecticut Superior Court on Wednesday, and is being held on a $5 million bond, police said.
Milford police said they got a 911 call on Tuesday night from victim Julie Minogue’s 17-year-old son, saying his mother was being assaulted by a man in their home. The teen told police he was woken up by screams and went downstairs and thought he heard Dewitt yelling “you didn’t believe me,” according to a report by Hartford station Fox 61. The teen told police Dewitt was holding an axe and his mother was on the floor, covered in blood.
The boy then ran upstairs and locked his door, eventually jumping out the window out of fear, according to Fox 61. The station reports police found Minogue, 40, in a large pool of blood on the kitchen floor, with “multiple critical lacerations to her face and skull.” A large axe was found on the stove near Minogue.
Minogue’s 3-year-old son was found on the living room couch in shock, Fox 61 reported.
Ring camera footage provided by a neighbor to Fox 61 shows a man walking with an axe in his hand in the area where Minogue was murdered.
It’s believed an axe was the murder weapon, but police said the medical examiner is still investigating. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Minogue’s cause of death was chop wounds and blunt impact to her head, torso and extremities, according to WTNH in New Haven.
Dewitt’s mother called police that night to allegedly report Dewitt had called her and said he killed his girlfriend, according to statements obtained by Fox 61. She told police her son was looking to kill himself. Police searched the area and eventually arrested him.
Milford police said Dewitt has a years-long history of alleged domestic violence against Minogue, and the two were in a prior dating relationship. He was arrested by officers in November 2019 for assaulting Minogue, and a protective order was issued at that time by the court, according to police. On Dec. 1, Minogue was granted a full, no contact restraining order against Dewitt after complaining he was sending her harassing text messages. This restraining order protected her and her other “minor children,” according to WTNH.
"I don't feel I should be subjected to this abuse any longer," she wrote in a Nov. 17 affidavit, the Connecticut Post reported. "I am scared for the safety of my children and I. Ewen has got himself into a lot of trouble with drugs and alcohol, and I'm scared he's going to kill me."
Both of Minogue’s children home at the time of her death are now in the care of family members, police said.
Attorneys on both sides cited mental health concerns for Dewitt when he was in court Wednesday, according to Fox 61. He’s been placed on suicide watch.
