A Connecticut man who killed his former girlfriend with an ax angrily shouted obscenities in court as he was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Ewen Dewitt, 45, killed Julie Minogue, 40, at her Milford home in December 2022 while two of her children slept inside, NBC News reported.
In March, Dewitt accepted a plea deal sentencing him to 40 years behind bars.
On Thursday, the court heard from Claud Chong, Dewitt’s attorney, as he tried to explain Dewitt’s reasoning behind the brutal killing.
‘The combination of drinking, drug use, depression, PTSD, he lost control, and he acted impulsively in rage and anger which we all agree is unacceptable behavior,’ Chong said.
‘However, I stand here today your honor, not to offer an excuse for Mr. Dewitt but an explanation.’
When the word ‘impulsive’ was used to describe his actions, State Attorney Margaret Kelley quickly stepped in to clarify for the record that the murder was intentional.
But before Kelley could finish her sentence, Dewitt seemingly became enraged and unleashed an outburst in the courtroom.
‘This was cold, calculated, well thought-out, to the extent…’ Kelley began, before rustling and commotion from officers could be heard in the background.
In courtroom footage, officers can be seen racing towards Dewitt as several stern voices are heard shouting: ‘Sit down.’
One officer held Dewitt’s shoulders and two others stood closely behind him. ‘Watch your mouth,’ one female officer warned as the judge interrupted the courtroom.
‘Mr Dewitt, I understand what you may be going through but I just have to remind you, this is an orderly place,’ the judge said.
‘If outbursts like that continue, I’m left with no other choice but to ask you, to remove you from the court.’
In response, seemingly unbothered as he rolled his eyes, Dewitt said: ‘That’d be great.’
The judge said the sentencing would continue, asking Dewitt to remain calm – while Dewitt rested his forehead in his folded hands.
In November 2019, Gilford police arrested Dewitt after he was suspected of assaulting Minogue, resulting in a order of protection.
Then, on December 1, 2022, police said Minogue was granted a full no-contact restraining order after reporting that Dewitt had been sending her hundreds of harassing text messages, NBC reported.
Documents obtained by the outlet revealed that the 40-year-old mother-of-three told police she was afraid he was going to kill her.
Just five days later, Minogue was found dead inside her home. She had been killed with an ax while her then-three-year-old and 17-year-old children were inside.
According to the police department’s initial statement on the homicide, it was her then-17-year-old son who called 911 to report that Dewitt had attacked and killed his mother with an ax, Law and Crime reported.
Minogue’s then-3-year-old son was also in the home at the time and witnessed the attack, confirmed by Michael Rosnick, the family’s attorney in the civil case, to the outlet.
Dewitt later confessed to the killing and was charged with murder, risk of injury to a child, home invasion, criminal violation of a restraining order and violation of a protective order.
He was expected to accept a plea deal in October of 2024, but rejected the proposed 45-year-prison sentence.
In March, the sentence was reduced to 40 years to spare Minogue’s family the pain of going through a trial, Daily News reported.
However, Minogue’s family was present at Thursday’s hearing, where they had the chance to speak in court for the first time since their loved one’s brutal murder.
Allison Barotti-Corcoran, Minogue’s sister, was the first to speak, describing the night of December 6 as one that will ‘haunt my family forever’, as reported by NBC.
‘I wish I could convey the heartbreak that we continue to experience and relive everyday,’ she said, recalling her sister’s murder as horrific and disgusting.
‘I often lie awake at night, thinking about the last few moments and what they must have been like,’ she added. I can’t imagine the fear and the pain in those last moments of her life.’
Sandra Toepper, Minogue’s mother, spoke through tears as she described the immense grief her family has endured since the fateful night.
‘He denied me and my family the right to see my daughter even before the funeral because he mutilated her, we couldn’t even see her or say goodbye to her,’ she said.
‘Our lives will never be the same because of him. My wish is he gets what he deserves, I hope he rots in hell.’
Nicholas Minogue, the eldest son, spoke directly to Dewitt during his impact statement.
‘Ewen, you are a disgusting coward, you took the life of our mother, a strong beautiful woman who raised 3 boys on her own,’ he said. ‘A woman who couldn’t defend herself, a woman who was 100 times the person you will ever be.’
‘You didn’t just kill our mom, you exposed the kind of pathetic, hollow, excuse of a human being you are, a failure of a man, a failure of a father, a failure of a brother, but most of all failure at life,’ he added.
‘After all your failures you find yourself here, all you have now is this courtroom, this shame, the sentence, it’s all you deserve.’
Minogue’s father, Gerald, has attended every single court proceeding in his daughter’s case. On Thursday, he was the last family member to speak in court.
‘I’m relieved in a sense that these proceedings are concluding however I will always carry the weight of the horrible thought of the pain, horror and fear my daughter experienced in those last moments of her life attacked viciously by an axe by an evil monster,’ he said.
According to court documents, Dewitt pleaded guilty to two charges.
On Thursday, he was sentenced to 40 years for murder and 10 years for risk of injury to a minor, with both sentences to be served concurrently.