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New Haven County resident Julie Minogue, age 40, of Milford, was found dead by police around 9 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 6 after receiving a 911 call from her 17-year-old son.
Her killer and ex-boyfriend Litchfield County resident, Ewen Dewitt, age 42, of Roxbury, was later located in West Haven and taken into custody.
Just a little under a month before her death, Minogue had visited the Milford Police Department on Monday, Nov. 14, with proof that Dewitt, who was not supposed to contact her, had sent her more than 200 text messages in two days, Milford Police said.
Officer Scott Knablin interviewed Minogue, and he collected evidence from her cell phone records that she later provided, Milford Police Chief Keith Mello in a statement.
On Friday, Nov. 18, 2022, Knablin completed an arrest warrant application for Dewitt, charging him with the violation of a protective order. Per policy, the arrest warrant application was reviewed by a supervisor, and both the supervisor and the officer believed that the arrest warrant application contained the requisite probable cause to support the charge, Mello said.
The warrant was submitted to the Ansonia/Milford State Attorney on Monday, Nov. 21 for approval.
That same day, the Assistant State’s Attorney denied the warrant and sent it back to Knablin requesting additional information be provided.
"As per policy, Officer Knablin had an obligation to gather that information requested by the Assistant State’s Attorney and resubmit the arrest warrant application as soon as possible," Mello said.
On Friday, Dec. 9, after consultation with the State’s Attorney, the arrest warrant application was transferred to a detective and a new arrest warrant application was initially drafted, the chief said.
The final arrest warrant for Ewen Dewitt was completed and signed by the State’s Attorney’s Office on Thursday, Dec. 14, seven days after her murder.
The investigation into the death of Minogue is ongoing, Mello said.
A formal internal affairs investigation has been initiated regarding the timeliness of his response. Officer Knablin has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the internal investigation into his actions, the chief added.
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