Press Releases
08/18/2023
Jury Finds Jerry Thompson Guilty of the 2020 Murder of Victor King in Hartford
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Hartford, CT) – Sharmese L. Walcott, Hartford State’s Attorney, announced that a Superior Court jury today found Jerry Thompson, age 45, of Hartford, guilty of the crime of Murder in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-54a.
The conviction stems from the July 25, 2020 murder of Victor King in a home on Asylum Avenue in Hartford.
Evidence presented at trial showed that the victim and the defendant were roommates, and that the victim had been attempting to have the defendant evicted for failing to pay rent. In the early morning hours of July 25, 2020, the victim made a complaint on the Hartford Police Department’s Submit a Tip line stating that the defendant was threatening him with a sword and that he intended to make an in-person complaint. Several hours later, he called 911 again reporting that his roommate had been threatening him. Later that morning, video surveillance footage showed the defendant parking his Jeep near the home and walking toward the front door with a long object in his hand. Thompson returned to his Jeep wearing different clothing approximately 20 minutes later.
Additional surveillance footage and witness testimony showed the defendant returning to the residence at 11:30 p.m. that evening. The following day, neighbors and friends of the victim became alarmed when he did not perform regularly scheduled chores and did not respond to multiple texts and phone calls. They urged Hartford Police to enter the home. During a wellness check conducted by Hartford Police with the assistance of the Hartford Fire Department, officers found the victim’s body concealed under blankets in the kitchen, having suffered two serious injuries to his neck that resulted in decapitation. Hartford detectives began searching for the defendant. During their investigation, detectives went to the Farmington River Park in Bloomfield, where a long Samurai-style sword, consistent with the victim’s wounds, was pulled from the river. Following his arrest, the defendant directed detectives to papers in his Jeep proclaiming his status as a sovereign citizen.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 11, 2023 in Hartford Superior Court.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorney Emily D. Trudeau with assistance from Inspector Thomas Steck, Paralegal Specialist Darwin Contreras, and certified legal intern Olivia Jones.