Newtown Incident Involved Danbury Murder Suspect

By Andrew Gorosko

A homeless man, who Danbury police charged last week with murdering a woman, had been the subject of a crisis intervention call at an Old Castle Hill Road residence in Newtown on August 16, according to Newtown police.

On August 24, Danbury police charged Joselito Estrada, 51, with murder in the stabbing death of Fe Cruz, 64, of Broad Street in Danbury. 

Danbury police charged Estrada with the woman’s death after they stormed her Broad Street home, where they found Cruz dead of stab wounds and also found Estrada.

Estrada was hospitalized after his arrest and was awaiting court arraignment this week on the murder charge.

On August 16, Newtown police responded to the Bautista residence at 12 Old Castle Hill Road, after having learned from a counselor at Catholic Family Services that Estrada, who was homeless and had been staying at that residence, had called the agency and made suicide threats.

Initially, police had learned from the Danbury Hospital Crisis Intervention Unit that Estrada had threatened to kill himself with a knife, and also threatened to “take someone out with him,” in an apparent reference to potentially killing someone. The hospital unit had received that information from Catholic Family Services, which the hospital then relayed to police.

On responding to 12 Old Castle Hill Road, police found Estrada inside the house, after which Estrada came outside and told police he was feeling depressed and was in pain with a herniated disc in his back. Estrada acknowledged that he had threatened suicide due to be being depressed and in pain, according to the police report.

Estrada told police he was on medication for depression and wanted to go to Danbury Hospital to get help. The Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps then transported Estrada to that hospital’s crisis intervention unit, police said.

Police later made contact with the owner of 12 Old Castle Road, who stated that Estrada was homeless and was staying there temporarily.