The Trial for Chris Dimeo, admitted murderer of Kim and Tim Donnelly of Fairfield Connecticut has gone to the Jury.
The 2005 murders of the married jewelry store owners has taken years to get to this point, this largely due to Dimeo fighting extradition from New york, where he was in prison for yet another murder of a jewelry store manager, whom he shot in cold blood, trying to procure jewelry during a hold up, presumably in order to buy heroin.
The trial closed out with testimony from Dimeo's former girlfriend Nicole Pierce who was convicted for her part in several of the robberies, including the one in which the Donnellys were murdered. She however mapped out the floor plans and adjacent areas for Dimeo as opposed o actually shooting or aiding in the murders themselves. She too was addicted to heroin which purportedly fueled her in her reason for assisting then boyfriends and companion Chris Dimeo.
Peirce who did not accompany Dimeo to the Donnelly robbery and murders, said that she had a feeling he would kill someone and took a train back to NY city motel although they were both wanted in the city for the death of another Jewelry store manager. In that hold up, Ms Pearce was apparently present. There were also four other robberies in which Dimeo managed to rob the stores yet no murders took place.
Nicole pierce received 20 years for her part in the crimes, this decided within a plea deal that her attorneys accepted. She is currently dying of stage four cervical cancer, and yet abided by her agreement to testify against Dimeo in this capital murder case. As she was too ill to attendcourt she had to testify from a live video feed from the University of Connecticut Health center where she is being treated for her cancer. Shortly after her testimony both sides rested and the Jury was charged with the decision of whether Dimeo is guilty of capital murder in the deaths of Kim and Tim Donnelly. It is pretty much a no brainer that he will be found guilty what remains to be seen is whether this same jury will give him the death penalty during the penalty phase, which will not occur until likely a short break fallowing the verdict being read. His attorneys will undoubtedly put on an aggressive defense citing mitigating factors such as heavy drug addiction which fueled the murders.
Dimeo was already serving a life sentence in New York for the murder of jewelery store manager however as New York has abolished the death penalty, he fought being extradited to Connecticut for over 2 years.
