Just one day after a man was found dead in a first-floor apartment in the Hill, a sharp-eyed patrol officer arrested the alleged murderer.
Police spokesman Officer Dave Hartman announced the arrest Monday afternoon. Cops are charging a 44-year-old man with the murder of a man on Spring Street in the Hill.
The 49-year-old victim, Anthony Stevenson, was found dead in the kitchen of a first-floor apartment on Spring Street. He had called police for help the night before, telling them he’d been stabbed. He didn’t give police a location and police couldn’t find him until Sunday morning.
Detectives zeroed in on the 44-year-old who lived in the apartment as the prime suspect in the case. As patrol cops arrived for their shifts on Monday, detectives told them about the man they were looking for, Hartman said.
Officer Joe Roberts knew the man from his regular beat in the Hill. On Monday, he was assigned to Sherman Avenue, where he happened to spot the murder suspect near the corner of Maple Street, in the Edgewood neighborhood. Roberts arrested the man without incident.
“New Haven Detectives have worked tirelessly since yesterday morning,” said police Chief Dean Esserman in a press statement. “The information they gathered was quickly disseminated last night and again this morning to patrol officers citywide. It was this quick work along with the keen sight of Officer Roberts that led to the speedy apprehension of our suspect in this case.”