Despite letters of support from more than 50 people, former Ansonia Alderman Keith Maynard was denied admittance to a family violence education program Thursday.
That means Maynard’s court case for allegedly assaulted his fiancee four days before their wedding will continue to be prosecuted at Superior Court in Derby.
In denying his application, Judge Barbara Bellis Thursday said despite strong support from family, friends and community members, Maynard’s alleged actions were “disturbing, unfathomable and shocking,” and “go far beyond what is tolerable or acceptable in our society.”
During a hearing on the application at Superior Court in Derby Thursday morning, Maynard’s attorney argued that he should be allowed into the program because of his clean record and character references.
A few of the letters presented suggested his fiancee, Ida Marie Lucarelli-Maynard, was controlling and abusive toward Maynard, and might have somehow prompted the attack.
“My sister has no blame in Keith Maynard’s actions,” said Jennifer Lucarelli after the court hearing, dismissing the application for the program as “manipulative.”
The Program
Maynard applied for the program — which would have wiped his record clean if successfully completed — earlier this month.
Typically, the family violence education program is available to first time offenders who haven’t be accepted into the program before and haven’t already received accelerated rehabilitation for another crime.
Because Maynard’s charges include two Class D felonies, the court held a hearing Thursday morning to determine if there was “good cause” to allow him into the program. Maynard was otherwise eligible.
Maynard was arrested in August for second-degree assault, first-degree unlawful restraint and first-degree reckless endangerment.
According to his confession in an arrest warrant, Maynard hid behind the door in the home he shared with Ida Marie and attacked her when she came in on the morning of July 1.
Support
Maynard’s attorney, John Kelly of New Haven, argued that Maynard has been an upstanding citizen, serving a decade as an Ansonia Alderman, before he resigned in August. He worked for more than 20 years for the state Department of Transportation, including five years as a supervisor.
He was terminated after his arrest.
In support of his application, 51 letters were filed outlining Maynard’s personality and community involvement. Several letters came from people in the city schools, former members of the Board of Aldermen and from the local NAACP.
Others came from long-time family friends, family members — even Maynard’s ex-fiancee.
“I think you can see a common theme,” Kelly said about the letters. “He is portrayed in these letters as someone who is quiet, if not passive, someone who is soft spoken.”
(The story continues below the documents)
But the man described in the letters is “an entirely different person from the one described in the arrest warrant,” Judge Bellis said at the hearing.
Objections
Ida Marie’s family and the state prosector argued that Maynard’s alleged crime went beyond typical domestic violence and should be fully prosecuted.
The day of the attack — four days before their wedding was scheduled — Maynard allegedly parked his truck out of sight and hid inside the house and allegedly covered Ida Marie with a blanket and severely beat her. When she tried to escape, Maynard locked the front door, according to authorities.
“But for her strength and her ability to continue to struggle with him … we do not know what would have happened that day,” said Assistant State’s Attorney Marjorie Sozanski, arguing against the application. “We don’t know if she would have gotten out.”
Maynard attempted to hide evidence when he fled the scene, according to the arrest warrant.
He then lied to police when he was interviewed by them twice, before confessing during a third interview, the warrant said. Ida Marie suffered bruises on her arms, neck and back and had a
concussion from the hits she took to the head.
Ida Marie’s family and state prosecutors said the family violence education program is not intended for premeditated crimes.
“It goes beyond a domestic violence incident,” Sozanski said. “It was an aggressive incident, a premeditated incident.”
The family attorney, William Bloss, said the family violence program is intended for a “temporary lapse in judgement, an argument that escalates to a threat. A slap.”
Bloss said the attack against Ida Marie was “very planned out, very deliberate.”
“What was the goal of this event?” Bloss asked. “Why did this take place? If he intended to call off the wedding, there was a much wiser way to call it off.”
Reaction
Jennifer Lucarelli and her mother were in the court room during the hearing Thursday. Several of Maynard’s friends and family members also attended.
Lucarelli said they were pleased with the judge’s decision. She called Maynard a “coward” and a “manipulator” for applying to the program.
“He thought he could escape punishment. But today the judge told him he cannot,” Lucarelli said.
The decision sends a message that attackers will be held accountable for their actions, Lucarelli said.
“Today’s decision also sends a message to those 51 people, Ansonia town representatives, Ansonia High School representatives, state Department of Transportation representatives, who so foolishly wrote
letters on the defendant’s behalf,” Lucarelli said. “You completely wasted your time and efforts and your letters are laughable.”
Bloss said including the letters that reference Ida Marie was “extremely poor judgement” and said violence is always the fault of the person who commits an act, not the victim.
Kelly said that only a few letters mention her and that it’s unfair to characterize the statements as blaming the victim.
“We do not (blame her), he does not,” Kelly said.
Kelly said that he will determine his next step for Maynard’s case when he appears in court for the next appearance on March 18.
