An Oxford man accused of killing his ex-wife and shooting his mother-in-law in the head appeared for less than a minute at Superior Court in Milford Thursday, where his case was continued to next month.
In the meantime, his lawyer said the man, Scott Gellatly, is being evaluated by a psychiatrist who will prepare a report on Gellatly after interviewing him.
Thursday marked Gellatly’s fifth court appearance in the case, in which he is charged with murder, attempted murder, first-degree assault, home invasion, first-degree burglary, and first-degree robbery.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges in June.
In court Thursday State’s Attorney Kevin Lawlor said he is disclosing state police materials in the case to defense lawyer David Egan. The two lawyers asked for a Nov. 5 court date, which Judge Frank Iannotti granted.
Egan told the judge that the psychiatric evaluation of Gellatly will likely take longer than that.
“I think it’s safe to assume we will not have it by Nov. 5,” he said.
Lawlor declined to comment on the case outside court.
Background
Gellatly has been behind bars on bonds totaling more than $2 million since his arrest hours after police said he shot his wife and his mother-in-law in a Sioux Drive home about 5:45 a.m. May 7.
Gellatly’s wife, Lori, was pronounced dead soon after the shooting.
Lori’s mother, Merry Jackson, was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital in critical condition but has since recovered, and was in court Thursday to see Gellatly’s appearance.
After the shooting, state police went on a statewide manhunt to find Gellatly. They eventually found him in a vehicle at an defunct fast food restaurant near Route 8 in Winsted.
The vehicle was running, and there was a hose leading from its exhaust pipe to one of its windows.
Gellatly also faces charges of third-degree assault and disorderly conduct in connection to an incident more than a month prior to the shooting during which he allegedly twisted his wife’s arm and prevented her from leaving their home.
After that incident, Lori Gellatly obtained a temporary restraining order against her husband.
A hearing on whether the restraining order would be made permanent was scheduled for the day after the shooting.
The killing prompted legislators and advocates of domestic violence victims to call for tighter restrictions on domestic violence suspects who own guns.
