A
77-year-old New Canaan man who told police he accidentally shot and killed his
wife is now charged with her murder.
Albert
Kokoth, who looked frail and confused in Stamford court for his arraignment
Tuesday, has been in custody on lesser charges since the incident on May 6.
He
needed help walking into the courtroom and appeared to be repeating "I'm
not the guy" as he did so.
Margaret
Kokoth, 75, was shot to death inside the couple's home on Down River Road in
New Canaan. They had been married more than 46 years at the time.
Kokoth
called his daughter, then 911, telling both he was showing his wife his shotgun
when it
went off by mistake.
Assistant
State's Attorney Dan Cummings said forensic evidence shows the shooting was an
intentional act.
“The
New Canaan police have evidence the defendant fired the shotgun, emptied the
cartridges, then reloaded and fired again,” he said.
Court
documents show Margaret Kokoth died from two separate shots – one to her head,
the other to her torso. Police also found a slug in the wall and fragments in
the ceiling, concluding this was no accident.
A
neighbor said he heard two distinct shots, 15 minutes apart.
Defense
Attorney Mark Sherman told News 12 that his client's state of mind will be part
of his defense.
“I
can’t get into the specifics about any diagnosis, but I can tell you mental
health is going to be an issue in this case,” he said. “Right now, everyone’s
just trying to process this and move forward in the most compassionate way
possible.”
Kokoth's
arrest warrant says one of his sons-in-law told police that
Kokoth's daughter had concerns about her dad for the past few months due to
dementia. She even told her husband, "If they don't do something, they're
gonna find her mother shot dead."
The
warrant includes a report from an officer on scene who heard Kokoth utter to a
daughter, "Now they have something exciting to post in the NewCanaanite” –
a local publication.
Another
officer overheard Kokoth tell her, "This is some Mother's Day gift."
Sherman
has asked that his client be given a wheelchair for future court dates.
He said Kokoth has been having mobility issues unrelated to anything with this
case.