Top local Connecticut news stories of 2022
From a trial seven years in the making to the tragedy of two officers killed in the line of duty – here are this year's top stories in Connecticut.
This past year brought no shortage of unique, controversial, and tragic stories across the state.
Here are some of those stories that impacted the state over the course of 2022.
Fairfield Smoothie Shop
Right off the bat, on January 22, a Fairfield father made national headlines after he was caught on camera throwing a smoothie at an employee during an angry outburst.
The incident stemmed after 48-year-old James Iannazzo entered Roebecks on Black Rock Turnpike, a known smoothie shop. Iannazzo reportedly ordered a smoothie without nuts due to allergy restrictions for his son. A short time after getting the smoother, Iannazzo reportedly stormed back into the shop, demanding to know who made the smoothie after his son had an allergic reaction, requiring medical assistance.
"I want to speak to the (expletive) person who made that drink," Iannazzo was seen and heard on the viral video demanding.
When the employees said they did not know who made the smoothie, Iannazzo became visibly angry.
The viral video showed Iannazzo throwing the smoothie at the employee and saying a racial slur.
Iannazzo was granted accelerated rehabilitation (AR) by the Connecticut Superior Court in April. The charges against Iannazzo are set to be dismissed after one-year probation. He was also fired from his job following the incident and apologized for his behavior.
Iannazzois settled a lawsuit from one of the employees.
Randy Cox vs. New Haven
Randy Cox, a 36-year-old from New Haven, was left paralyzed after slamming his head while traveling unrestrained in a police transport van in June.
The incident happened on June 19. Cox was being driven in a van without seatbelts to a New Haven police station for processing on a weapons charge. Authorities said the van's driver braked hard to avoid a collision, causing Cox to fly headfirst into the metal partition between the driver's compartment and the passengers' section.
Cox, who was handcuffed at the time, was left paralyzed from his chest down.
“I can’t move. I’m going to die like this. Please, please, please help me,” Cox said minutes after the crash, according to police camera video.
The officer driving the van, Oscar Diaz, stopped a few minutes later to check on him, according to the video and officials. Cox was lying motionless on the floor and Diaz called paramedics. However, Diaz told them to meet him at the station instead of waiting for them, according to Police Chief Karl Jacobson, who has also said Diaz violated police policies.
At the station, some of the officers mocked Cox and accused him of being drunk and faking his injuries, according to dialogue captured by surveillance and body-worn camera footage. Cox was later found to have a fractured neck and was paralyzed.
Officers dragged Cox by his feet from the van and placed him in a holding cell prior to his eventual transfer to a hospital.
Diaz and the other four officers — Sgt. Betsy Segui, Officer Ronald Pressley, Officer Jocelyn Lavandier and Officer Luis Rivera — were charged on Nov. 28 with second-degree reckless endangerment and cruelty to persons, both misdemeanors.
The Cox lawyers said they will seek a civil lawsuit settlement with the city.
Mayor Justin Elicker said in a statement that all parties have agreed to pursue early settlement negotiations in the civil lawsuit filed by the lawyers for Randy Cox. A judge will facilitate all discussions.
Rick Dabate finally goes to trial
Rick Dabate, an Ellington man accused of murdering his wife Connie, was finally put on trial after seven years.
The murder took place in December 2015 and it was finally in May 2022 when Dabate was put before a judge and jury.
His trial lasted five weeks and centered around a key piece of evidence: Connie's FitBit device.
The data extracted from it suggested she had still been moving around the house an hour after Dabate said an armed intruder killed her.
Dabate testified at the trial that a large masked man with a voice like actor Vin Diesel dressed in camouflage shot his wife and tied him up at the couple’s Tolland County just days before Christmas.
Jurors heard from more than 100 witnesses — including Dabate — over 22 days and saw 600 pieces of evidence. Dabate testified he came home after realizing he’d forgotten his laptop and found a large man wearing camouflage inside the house.
The man, he claims, shot Connie to death in their basement, stabbed and tied him to a folding chair, Rick testified, before he burned the alleged intruder with a torch.
Dabate also admitted that he had been having an affair with another woman at the time of his wife's death and had lied about it to the police.
At the end of the trial, a jury returned a guilty verdict for murder, tampering with evidence, and making false statements.
In August, Dabate was sentenced to 65 years in prison.
Alex Jones Sandy Hook Trial
In a continuing carousel of litigation for InfoWars host Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist landed at Waterbury Superior Court in October.
Jones promoted a theory that the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting was a hoax, staged by actors, and that no children died — all in an effort to increase gun control.
His shows drew legions of followers, some of whom then spent years harassing the parents and siblings of the victims, as well as an FBI agent who had responded to the school.
By the time of the Waterbury trial, Jones was already found liable by default in multiple defamation lawsuits after judges ruled that he and his lawyers were improperly withholding information and records from the plaintiffs.
Trials were held both in Connecticut and Texas to determine how much he owed the families for lying about them. Jones faces a third trial in Texas in a lawsuit filed by the parents of another child killed in the shooting.
In what was a long-awaited verdict, Alex Jones was ordered to pay $965 million to the eight families of Sandy Hook victims and the FBI agent.
Then, in November, Jones and his company were ordered to pay an extra $473 million to the victims' families and the FBI agent.
Fallen Bristol Officers
The Bristol community continues to mourn the loss of two fallen officers who were shot and killed in October.
Then-Sgt. Dustin DeMonte and Ofc. Alex Hamzy was joined by Ofc. Alec Iurato as they went to investigate the report of a domestic disturbance at a home.
Inside the home on Redstone Hill Road were brothers Nathan and Nicholas Brutcher.
According to body camera footage and the investigation, when the three officers got to the home they went to a side door and spoke with Nathan Brutcher. They then ordered Nathan to step outside and show his hands.
As Nathan stepped out, gunfire erupted around the officers as 35-year-old Nicholas began his ambush.
Police said Nicholas fired over 80 rounds, attacking the officers from behind.
DeMonte and Hamzy were fatally struck while Iurato was wounded in the leg. Despite his injury, however, Iurato managed to get away from the scene, around the house, and back to a Bristol Police Department vehicle. From that vantage point, Iurato fired one shot.
That one shot struck and killed Nicholas.
State police had said in one of the releases that the 911 call reporting the domestic disturbance might have been placed to "lure" officers to the home.
Nathan was also injured during the shooting but his status and the status of the investigation into what may have prompted Nicholas to ambush the officers isn't known at this time.
The community and the state, along with law enforcement around the country, turned out to pay their respects at DeMonte and Hamzy's joint funeral services.
DeMonte and Hamzy were also posthumously promoted, with DeMonte going from sergeant to lieutenant and Hamzy going from officer to sergeant.
Many charities, funds, and other ways to monetarily help the families affected by the tragedy were created. All three officers were honored in various ways, including by the New England Patriots and the WWE.
Naugatuck Murder
In November, a Naugatuck man named Christopher Francisquini went on the run after reportedly killing his 11-month-old daughter.
Two weeks later, he was captured in Waterbury.
On November 18, Naugatuck police were called to a home on Millville Avenue for a murder investigation. When officers got there, they found a "small child deceased with numerous stab and knife related wounds," along with other gruesome injuries.
That small child was 11-month-old Camilla. Her first birthday would have been just two weeks after she was murdered.
Per the arrest warrant, Francisquini had cut off his ankle monitor before vanishing from the scene. Francisquini was on special parole at the time after serving 10 years in prison for first-degree assault. He was scheduled to appear in court in the weeks since the murder for several crimes he allegedly committed after his 2020 release.
Francisquini had his father's Chevrolet Impala, which was later found on the side of Interstate 91 in New Haven. A driver who stopped to see if Francisquini had broken down was told by Francisquini that the car had only run out of gas.
Inside the Impala, according to police, were a dozen pieces of evidence which included the knife believed to have been used to kill Camilla.
The driver took Francisquini to a gas station before leaving.
At some point after that, Francisquini was then spotted on surveillance walking down Quinnipiac Avenue.
After that, he went quiet.
Local, state, and federal law enforcement officials were brought in to try and find Francisquini. The FBI offered a monetary reward for information leading to his capture and then increased that reward. A billboard also went up alongside the highways in Connecticut, which showed Francisquini's image and description.
The FBI also released information regarding Francisquini's tattoos which were distinctive and hard to change, unlike his physical appearance with his hair.
Law enforcement would appeal to Francisquini, saying they would not stop until he was found and brought to justice.
Two weeks later, just one day before what would have been Camilla's first birthday, Francisquini was spotted by a citizen in Waterbury as he was waiting for a bus.
Francisquini was arrested and appeared in court, where he was quiet and kept his head down.
He's being held on a $5 million bond and faces murder with special circumstances and risk of injury to a child. His next court date is Dec. 21.
Additional Noteworthy Stories
Here are some other top local stories that happened this year:
Vice President Kamala Harris coming to Connecticut twice this year, once to deliver the keynote address at the U.S. Coast Guard graduation ceremony and the other to discuss abortion rights with Rep. Jahana Hayes at Central Connecticut State University.
Someone won $185 million off of a Powerball ticket bought in Cheshire.
The UConn women's basketball team made it all the way to the national championships before South Carolina dashed their hopes of a 12th win.
Connecticut and most of the New England area were impacted by a severe drought this summer.
A Bridgeport boy named Dominick Kankall was severely burned one afternoon in April. But, despite suffering from third-degree burns, he shared his story and his goal of "staying strong."
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
--
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
---
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.