By Randall Beach
Register Staff

Who killed Suzanne Jovin?
Will we ever find out?
Ever since Jovin was stabbed to death and found lying on East Rock Road in my neighborhood 16 years ago, I have written dozens of stories about this case and thought about it almost every day.
It haunts a lot of people besides, first and foremost, her family. Police investigators, citizen activists and others are still looking into the unsolved slaying of this 21-year-old Yale student.

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During the 16 years I’ve been writing about this crime for the New Haven Register, many people have called me with tips about it. Some are worth looking into; some are completely off the wall. But I have always passed on all information to the police or cold case investigators, and I continue to do so.

Read more here. 

By Randall Beach
Register Staff
NEW HAVEN >> On the 16th anniversary of the night Suzanne Jovin was murdered, cold case investigators Thursday appealed to the public for help in putting together “a jigsaw puzzle” with a “mystery gap” of 20-30 minutes.
The unusual forum drew about 50 residents, many of them from the East Rock neighborhood where Jovin was found mortally wounded. They walked into the Wilbur Cross High School auditorium and stared up at a giant photo of a young woman with a radiant smile.

Read more here. 

By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo
NEW HAVEN >> The family of a Branford woman who was killed in a car crash objected Monday to the driver’s recent plea bargain agreement, as they said no one notified them beforehand.
Vincent Mauro, 32, of Branford, appeared in Superior Court in New Haven on Monday in a hearing before Judge Maureen Keegan.
Mauro crashed a Mercedes Aug. 18, 2013 in Branford while driving under the influence of alcohol, killing his wife and passenger, Megan McAuliffe, 29. Mauro went off the road and struck a tree on Brushy Plain Road in Branford.

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Mauro recently entered a no contest plea to second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle.

Read the full story here.
Read about Mauro's plea and civil litigation in the case here.  

DEC. 9 UPDATE:  Plea deal in Branford fatal DUI crash thrown out.

Sean Doyle, campaign organizer with ConnPIRG, discusses the annual Trouble in Toyland report Monday. MICHELLE TUCCITTO SULLO — NEW HAVEN REGISTER

By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo

With the holiday shopping season in gear, a public interest advocacy group is warning consumers about potentially hazardous toys.
The Connecticut Public Interest Research Group discussed its 29th annual Trouble in Toyland report at a press conference Monday at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford.
A sheriff’s badge playset had high levels of lead, while a Jake and the Neverland Pirates Tambourine had high levels of chromium, according to the report. The organization found high levels of phthalates in items such as a Hello Kitty bracelet and hair clip set, a rubber duck and Dora the Explorer backpack, the report shows.

Read more here. 

By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo

A Branford family that successfully campaigned to require newborn screening for a rare but potentially fatal disease in Connecticut is hoping to repeat its success on the national level.
Brian Kelley, 26, of Branford has adrenoleukodystrophy, or ALD, which caused him to lose his sight, speech and ability to move around when he was 7 years old.
Last year, Connecticut lawmakers passed legislation requiring health care institutions to screen newborns in their care for the disease, and the state is in the process of implementing the program.

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In a letter dated Nov. 26, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., wrote to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, asking for ALD to be added to the department’s list of recommended newborn screenings.

Read more here.