A Shelton man accused of shooting his wife to death Sunday night fled the area and had made it nearly to Ohio before deciding to turn around and surrender to police Monday, according to a prosecutor.
Thomas Infante, 52, was arraigned on a murder charge Tuesday at Superior Court in Derby. He is accused of killing Lisa Infante, his wife of 27 years.
Police said the couple were in the process of divorcing and had an argument Sunday night at their Hickory Lane home, during which Thomas Infante shot his wife.
Thomas Infante was arrested Monday afternoon.
Lisa Infante was an active volunteer with Echo Hose Ambulance in Shelton, where a vigil was held Monday night to remember the popular volunteer.
EMS and emergency responders were posting blue teardrops on social media Monday in memory of her and her volunteerism in Shelton.
Echo Hose Ambulance in Shelton has set up a “Go Fund Me“ page to help the family of Lisa Infante.
’The Defendant Confessed’
In court Tuesday, prosecutor John Kerwin asked Judge Peter Brown to raise Infante’s bond to $2 million, referring to a probable cause report in the case that the judge ordered sealed from public view, citing the fact that the investigation is ongoing.
“The defendant … callously shot the victim,” Kerwin said.
The prosecutor said the gun used in the crime has been recovered by police.
“In addition, the defendant confessed,” Kerwin said.
Kerwin told the judge that Infante had also told police he fled the area after the shooting, and had traveled as far as the Ohio-Pennsylvania border before deciding to turn around and turn himself in.
“He’s shown an ability to flee should he make bond,” Kerwin said, asking the judge to sign protective orders prohibiting any contact between Infante and his children — ages 20, 18, 16, and 14.
Infante’s lawyer, John Gulash, argued Infante wasn’t a flight risk because he surrendered to police Monday, asking the judge to set bond at $500,000.
The lawyer also asked the judge not to issue protective orders barring his client from seeing his children, and suggested the judge instead order any contact between Thomas Infante and his children be supervised by the state Department of Children and Families.
“Circumstances suggest the opposite” of a risk of flight, Gulash said in court. “My client turned himself in to the police department with no arrest warrant (having been issued for him).”
Gulash said Infante has worked as a machine operator for the Town of Trumbull for the past 20 years.
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A bail commissioner said Infante had two convictions on his record dating back to 1998, both for driving under the influence.
The judge, citing the allegations contained in the sealed police report, issued protective orders barring Infante from contacting two of his children, and ordered a guardian be appointed to represent the 14-year-old during court proceedings.
Judge Brown set Infante’s bond at $1.5 million and continued the case to Oct. 8, when Infante will appear at Superior Court in Milford, which handles more serious crimes.
Outside court, Gulash said he didn’t yet know much about the allegations, or whether his client may be able to post the $1.5 million bond.
“I really don’t have a lot of information at this point,” Gulash said.
Click the play button on the video above to see Gulash’s comments.
