(Rocky Hill, CT) – Chief State’s Attorney Patrick J. Griffin announced today that an arrest has been made in connection with a 2012 cold case homicide in Chaplin.
Matthew Vining, age 43, of Willimantic, has been charged with Murder, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-54a, for the fatal stabbing of Michael Mitchell, age 42, of Willimantic, which occurred in a Chaplin residence on or about February 22, 2012.
The arrest follows an extensive joint investigation conducted by the Cold Case Unit of the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Connecticut State Police Major Crimes Unit, the Division of Scientific Services within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, the state judicial marshals at Superior Court in Danielson and the Willimantic Police Department. Through the use of DNA analysis, video surveillance, cell site investigation, and eyewitness accounts, investigators identified Vining as a suspect in the homicide.
Vining is scheduled to be arraigned on August 20, 2026, at Danielson Superior Court.
The Cold Case Unit is comprised of prosecutors and investigators from the Division of Criminal Justice who work in collaboration with the Connecticut State Police and municipal police departments to investigate and solve violent crime cases.