Friends and colleagues recently remembered State’s Attorney Michael Dearington as a no-nonsense, intelligent and hard-working attorney who ably balanced the pursuit of justice with the protection of individual rights while also serving as an impactful leader, deeply committed to public service and mentoring younger prosecutors.
A 2009 Criminal Justice Commission press release announcing State’s Attorney Dearington’s reappointment as New Haven Judicial District State’s Attorney referred to him as the “dean” of Connecticut’s State’s Attorneys. He was first appointed State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Ansonia/Milford in October 1985 and from November 1987 until his retirement in 2016, he served as the State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of New Haven, a position to which he was reappointed in 1993, 2001 and 2009. His obituary said he was believed to be the longest-serving State’s Attorney in Connecticut history.
“On behalf of the Division of Criminal Justice, I would like to extend my condolences to the family of former State’s Attorney Michael Dearington, an incredible and committed prosecutor dedicated to achieving justice in the many complex and hard-fought cases he tried and supervised during his decades of public service to the state of Connecticut,” said Chief State’s Attorney Patrick J. Griffin, who became the New Haven Judicial District State’s Attorney following State’s Attorney Dearington’s retirement in 2016.
“He embodied the very best attributes of a prosecutor. His legal acumen, professionalism, humility and integrity set the standard for a generation of lawyers. The Division is indebted to Mr. Dearington for his many years of service to the state and for his invaluable contributions to the criminal justice system and this agency, in particular,” Chief State’s Attorney Griffin said.
“State’s Attorney Dearington was an exceptional man, lawyer and leader,” said current New Haven Judicial District State’s Attorney John P. Doyle, Jr., who worked with State’s Attorney Dearington for many years after joining the Division in 1998.
This photo, discovered recently at the New Haven State's Attorney's Office by New Haven Judicial District State's Attorney John P. Doyle, Jr., shows Attorney Michael Dearington teaching a class sometime during the 1980s.
“He was diligent, persistent and fair in litigating criminal charges while always upholding the interests of justice in the many important and serious cases he tried in court. He was an effective, supportive and inspirational leader to those of us who worked in the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office where he led by example, striking the often-difficult balance of leading the office while still presenting some of the Judicial District’s most complex and challenging cases through the years. When we think of State’s Attorney Dearington, we will remember moments he gave to us that made us all better prosecutors and human beings. On behalf of the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, I would like to extend our condolences to the Dearington family,” State’s Attorney Doyle said.
John J. Russotto, Deputy Chief State’s Attorney for Personnel, Finance and Administration, said State's Attorney Dearington set the standard for all of the other State’s Attorneys.
"He was one of the best trial attorneys in the state but also was a kind and compassionate leader who always put the needs of his employees ahead of his own. Mr. Dearington liked nothing better than to watch his staff achieve great successes. He was proud of the work that they did. He will be missed by many,” Deputy Chief State’s Attorney Russotto said.
Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Stacey M. Miranda, who worked side-by-side State’s Attorney Dearington on several criminal cases once she moved to the “Part A” office in New Haven in 2005, lauded State’s Attorney Dearington’s ability to mentor younger prosecutors.
“Mike Dearington led with grace, courage and humility, qualities that defined not just his career, but also his character,” Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Miranda said. “Always approachable, Mike believed in the strength of his team and fostered autonomy, creativity and personal growth. He mentored generations of prosecutors, many of whom continue to carry the torch, inspired by the standard of excellence he set. He was a consummate gentleman, a measured professional, and an extraordinary boss. His legacy will live on.”
‘A Lawyer First, Then a Prosecutor’
The son of a State’s Attorney and Circuit Court judge, State’s Attorney Dearington graduated from Trinity College in 1964 and earned a law degree from the American University Washington College of Law before serving in the U.S. Army, according to an obituary. After his honorable discharge from the U.S. Army, Attorney Dearington began his career as a prosecutor in Washington D.C. He later moved back to Connecticut and began working for the former Office of the Chief Prosecuting Attorney in February 1972, starting his long journey in public service that would leave a profound mark on generations of prosecutors, colleagues, and victims alike.
“He was the real deal,” said former Chief State’s Attorney Kevin T. Kane who worked with Attorney Dearington in those early days. “A lawyer first, and then a prosecutor." He said that distinction meant a lot to State's Attorney Dearington.
The phrase “lawyer first” spoke to State’s Attorney Dearington’s deep understanding of the ethical and professional responsibilities that came with the job, former Chief State’s Attorney Kane said. He believed that prosecutors were not there to rack up convictions or chase news headlines. They were there to serve the public, guided by integrity, fairness, and the law. His client was the people, former Chief State’s Attorney Kane said, and he never forgot that.
This photo, discovered recently at the New Haven State's Attorney's Office by New Haven Judicial District State's Attorney John P. Doyle, Jr., shows Attorney Michael Dearington being sworn in by his father, Searls Dearington, a former State's Attorney and Circuit Court Judge.
Former Chief State’s Attorney Kane said State’s Attorney Dearington also showed a willingness to revisit convictions when new information surfaced. “He had the courage to say, ‘Maybe we got this wrong,' and he meant it,” former Chief State’s Attorney Kane said.
During an early chapter in their careers during a particularly sensational case in New Haven, another prosecutor was disqualified from a case and Attorney Kane was asked to step in. After the jury decided to acquit the defendant, Attorney Kane went into the office of then-State’s Attorney Arnold Markle, concerned about how he would react to the unfavorable verdict. Attorney Dearington was there and simply stated, “Nobody could have won that case.” Former Chief State’s Attorney Kane said he never forgot that show of support from a colleague who would later become a dear friend.
A prosecutor for nearly five decades, State’s Attorney Dearington was widely respected by both his fellow prosecutors and the defense lawyers he often contended with during the more than 100 cases, according to his obituary, he tried to verdict during his career. He will be remembered for vigorously prosecuting killers who perpetrated some of the most horrific crimes in modern history in Connecticut, including Steven Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky, convicted of murdering Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters, 17-year-old Hayley and 11-year-old Michaela, during a home invasion at their home in Cheshire in July 2007, and Jonathan Mills, convicted of fatally stabbing Katherine “Kitty” Kleinkauf, 43, and her children, Kyle Redway, 4, and Rachael Crum, 6, on Dec. 27, 2000 in Guilford after strangling another woman in Guilford, Mindy Leigh, 20, two months earlier.
The Honorable Elpedio N. Vitale, a former prosecutor in the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office for 18 years, described State’s Attorney Dearington as an “intelligent, witty and honorable man with a dry, yet keen” sense of humor.
“He had the challenging task of succeeding the iconic Arnold Markle following Mr. Markle’s untimely death and proved to be an exemplary State’s Attorney, greatly admired and respected by his colleagues, staff, and members of the defense bar,” Judge Vitale said. “Mike led the office by example, working hard and personally trying many high-profile cases. He kept abreast of new statutes and case law, and made sure the staff did as well. He was an extremely skilled attorney with an impeccable courtroom presence.”
Judge Vitale said he was always grateful to State’s Attorney Dearington for affording him the unique opportunity to become cross-designated as a Special Assistant United States Attorney and to work with then-U.S. Attorney John Durham on a number of federal gang prosecutions.
“Mike imparted the “24-hour” rule to his attorneys,” Judge Vitale said. “If a particularly difficult or sensitive event occurred in the courtroom or with a case, he sagely advised to “take 24 hours” to sit back and to dispassionately evaluate what, if any, response was actually necessary. He was also sensitive to and appreciated issues related to staff with family commitments. He was just a tremendous person to work for, and I consider myself fortunate to have done so.”
In addition, State’s Attorney Dearington’s door “was always open to discuss challenging issues with the Assistant State’s Attorneys in his office, providing calm guidance and the guarantee that he would ‘have your back’ when it came to making informed, but difficult decisions,” Judge Vitale said.
The family members of crime victims recalled State’s Attorney Dearington’s accessibility, his outreach and the support he gave them as they navigated the criminal justice system. State’s Attorney Dearington, they said, was sensitive, respectful, and actively listened to their concerns and emotions, while maintaining professional boundaries.
“When I met him, my whole world had been blown apart,” said Nancy Filiault, the sister of Katherine “Kitty” Kleinkauf. “Yet within minutes of meeting him through my tears, that gentle, beautiful smile of his instantly let me know that he had a heart of gold. His compassion for us never wavered.”
Filiault said State’s Attorney Dearington treated her like a daughter.
“I always felt like I had a fierce protector by my side. I learned so much from him about the judicial process. And how hard he had to fight for victims’ rights. And how often his hands were tied.” On the days when State’s Attorney Dearington knew certain testimony would be too much for the family to bear, he would offer Filiault and her family even greater support and warned them that tough days were ahead.
“I am a passionate Italian woman, feisty and fierce when attacked and broken. I think from the moment he met me he knew he would have his hands full. I was in that courtroom every day. I know often he feared my reactions. When he had bad news, he prepared me. Often, he warned me of things that would happen that day because he didn’t want me to react in the courtroom. I don’t know how many times I remember him shaking his head at me and saying, ‘Oh Nancy.’ We were warned by the judge not to show any emotion at the beginning of the trial, or we would be thrown out of the courtroom. It was incredibly hard not to react when you’re in your sister’s, niece’s and nephew’s murder trial...Mike fought hard for us.”
A judge sentenced Mills to three consecutive life terms for killing Kitty Kleinkauf and her two small children. Mills also received a 20-year prison sentence for strangling Mindy Leigh to death.
“I feel blessed to have had Mike as our prosecutor, to have met him and felt his compassion,” Filiault said. “I have never met anyone before or after him that has had such an impact on my life. I adored the man. I can only imagine how heavy his heart was with his work. My hope is that anyone who ever worked with him, worked against him, or just knew him, learned from his compassionate nature and his massive knowledge of the justice system that was so evident he loved.”
Inspector Douglas S. Jowett, who investigated the killings of Kitty Kleinkauf and her children, said it was “the honor of my life to have worked for” State’s Attorney Dearington.
“Mike Dearington was among the most scrupulous people I’ve ever met,” Inspector Jowett said. “He treated all with dignity and respect. He never put his staff into classes, rather, they were equally valued. His door was open, always, to his people, law enforcement officials, crime victims and detractors alike. Humble to a fault, Mr. Dearington never asked of others anything he himself wouldn’t take on. He chose people over power.”
Dr. William Petit, Jr., who was severely beaten but survived the brutal attacks by Hayes and Komisarjevsky, also recalled State’s Attorney Dearington’s accessibility and the way he always found the time for him, as well as his family before, during and after the two separate evidence and penalty phases of the trials of Hayes in 2010 and Komisarjevsky in 2011.
“He was just personally a very kind and giving person. He gave you his time, and he listened, really listened," Dr. Petit said.
Petit said State’s Attorney Dearington offered warmth and calm during times when he needed it most, even when State’s Attorney Dearington was faced with the enormous pressures of the emotionally charged, high-profile trials of Hayes and Komisarjevsky. State’s Attorney Dearington was deeply involved and deeply committed, not just to the legal mechanics of the case, but to the people at the heart of it, Dr. Petit said.
When tensions rose, when emotions frayed, State’s Attorney Dearington’s calm steadiness anchored everyone involved, he said. “He told us what to shrug off and what to worry about. He’d been around the block, and he knew how to focus us…He’d always say, ‘Take a deep breath, tell me what you’re thinking, but just know—it’s on me. I’ll carry the weight. You don’t have to,’” Dr. Petit said.
‘Nothing Was Too Much For Him’
Retired Supervisory Inspector Robert Sage was at State’s Attorney Dearington’s side throughout the trials of Komisarjevsky and Hayes.
“I was deeply honored to work for him,” retired Supervisory Inspector Sage, who was hired by State’s Attorney Dearington in 2003, said. He recalled the small “shoebox” of an office he had next to the boss, an office, he said, he never wanted to leave even when other job offers came along.
“It was a privilege to go to work there every day,” he said. Retired Supervisory Inspector Sage said State’s Attorney Dearington was revered by the police officers and law enforcement officials he encountered on the job.
“He had a presence about him when he walked into a room that was special. He always held the police officers in the highest regard,” retired Supervisory Inspector Sage said.
Those in the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office often marveled how their boss managed to run an efficient and productive office while still juggling some of the most difficult and complex criminal cases on the docket, retired Supervisory Inspector Sage said.
“He was able to master the courtroom and at the same time manage the office,” he said. “Nothing was too much for him. He was the rock of the office.”
State’s Attorney Dearington’s obituary said “his commitment to public service extended beyond the courtroom” as he served as the president of the Shoreline Chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters. He also taught police officers the law of searches and seizures under the Fourth Amendment at the State’s Attorneys Law Enforcement Training Program.
Though he loved his job, the obituary said State’s Attorney Dearington’s greatest joy was his family and that he never missed a sports game, recital, or other milestone in his children’s lives. State's Attorney Dearington is survived by his wife, Gerry, and his children Meredeth Whittier, Bob Dearington and Mike Dearington, and eight grandchildren.
Later in life, Mike delighted in being the loving “Pop Pop” to his eight grandchildren, whom he adored and devoted countless hours to entertaining,” the obituary said. “He loved hosting his children and grandchildren at his home, where he gladly pushed his grandchildren in a toy car up and down the hallway and read them stories for hours on end.”