(Hartford, CT) – Sharmese L. Walcott, State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Hartford, today announced that the Honorable David P. Gold on November 19, 2024, sentenced Tahj H. Hutchinson, age 26, to serve 27 years in prison, and three years of special parole, for his role in the 2021 death of his wife, Jessica Edwards, age 30, in South Windsor.
Hutchinson pleaded guilty in Hartford Superior Court on September 24, 2024, to charges of Manslaughter in the First Degree, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-55(a)(3), Risk of Injury to a Child, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53-21(a)(1) and Tampering with Physical Evidence, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-155(a)(1).
According to evidence presented to the court, the defendant told police that an argument he had with his wife in their South Windsor condominium on May 10, 2021 turned violent, and in an attempt to calm the situation, he restrained her by lying on top of her until she stopped moving. The defendant later discarded his wife’s lifeless body, wrapped in a blanket, in a swampy area of East Hartford. The couple's 7-month-old son was in the home at the time of the incident. Though the couple lived in South Windsor, Hutchinson later reported to East Hartford police that his wife was missing. For 11 days, family, friends and law enforcement authorities searched for the victim, whose body was eventually located by police, with the assistance of State Police drones.
This case was prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Robert Diaz, with the assistance of Inspector Luis Rodriguez and Paralegal Specialist Lakisha Malave.
State's Attorney Walcott would like to thank the South Windsor Police Department for their tireless search for Jessica Edwards, the State Police for their immediate assistance with crucial technological advancements that made finding her possible, and to Jessica's family for attending every court hearing.
“Their strength over the past three and a half years is remarkable,” State’s Attorney Walcott said. “They never stopped advocating for their sister, daughter and aunt who they love and miss immensely. The Judge expressed sentiments that the defendant ‘can never snuff out Jessica's light because it burns so brightly through her family.’ I am hopeful the family has some peace with this difficult chapter being complete. Many victims’ families do not get to hear the word ‘guilty’ from the person who took the life of their loved one; there is value in that statement."