Norwalk's former Republican deputy registrar of voters has been convicted of murder.

On Friday morning, a jury at Stamford Superior Court found Ellen Wink guilty in the deadly shooting of her tenant, Kurt Lametta, on Jan. 20, 2022.

Wink showed no emotion when she learned her fate. Her face remained blank as each juror was individually polled.

"She was told not to react because it's not the end of the story," her attorney, Stephan Seeger, said outside the courthouse. "It's sort of Phase 1 and may be bad news, but she collected herself and maintained herself appropriately with dignity."

There were no big reactions from Lametta's family either, just sniffles as they quietly cried. His brother told News 12 the verdict was a relief.

"I expected a murder verdict, but anything can happen nowadays," Kenny Lametta stated. "I want to give my thanks to the jury, and all I can say is the whole thing is just unfortunate."

Jurors deliberated for about an hour Wednesday after getting the case in the late afternoon, then just over an hour when they returned Friday morning. Not long after 11 a.m., the judge said the jury sent a note that asked to rehear testimony. But a few minutes later, they sent another that they no longer needed to because they had a verdict.

It's been almost 3 ½ years since Wink and Lametta's contentious landlord-tenant relationship ended in a fatal shooting inside Wink's property at 16 Nelson Ave. Things took a turn in late August 2021 when Wink told Lametta to find a new place to live after he had an argument with another tenant, but Lametta refused. Tensions escalated on Sept. 18, 2021, when Norwalk police arrested Wink, whom they said locked Lametta out of the house and threw his things in the dump. She was charged with criminal lockout—a misdemeanor, but one that was joined with the murder case after the prosecution successfully argued it showed motive in the shooting four months later. On Friday morning, the jury found her guilty of criminal lockout, as well.

The jury, which was made up of seven women and five men, wasn't tasked with determining if Wink killed Lametta. She admitted that, telling the 911 operator that he came after her. Her attorney argued this was a case of self-defense and also claimed Wink was under extreme emotional disturbance when she pulled the trigger five times—an incident the jury saw over and over at trial.

Lametta was secretly recording his encounter with his landlord in the kitchen and captured his own death. The footage was central to the prosecution's case as it disputed the narrative that Lametta lunged at Wink. Still frames of the footage showed Wink was the one who advanced toward her tenant. The incident began relatively calmly, with Lametta complaining about Wink entering the house and cleaning out the fridge because she wanted to sell the house.

"That's ridiculous. Every day you're going to come and throw people's stuff away?" Lametta asked.

His phone was in his hand by his side. There was some rattling sound, then he was shot twice, followed by a pause.

"You bastard," Wink stated, before firing three more times and shouting at Lametta in a guttural voice.

"Get out! Get out! Get out! Get out of my house! Get out of here!" Wink screamed as Lametta fell to the floor, dropping the phone.

The screen went black but continued to record Wink yelling at Lametta.

"You think I'm [expletive] with you?! Do you?! Do you think I'm [expletive] with you?! Knock it off, you [expletive] ! I'll give you nice! [Expletive] off!"

Wink picked up Lametta's phone and carried on shouting as she left the house, appearing to toss the phone into a bush outside.

"This is a shooting that's on video, and, you know, it's shocking for people to see some of the things they saw," said Seeger following the verdict. "So, am I surprised? I'm not surprised, but I am disappointed."

Wink had been out on bond but was taken into custody and faces up to 60 years in prison. She previously turned down a plea deal for 40 years.

"I'm not going to tell you this suffices the death, but it gives you something else to think about," Kenny Lametta said.

He also thanked Supervisory Assistant State's Attorney Michelle Manning.

"I think she is phenomenal, was very helpful through the whole process," Kenny Lametta stated. "She was more than just a prosecutor."

Sentencing is set for Sept. 5. Seeger said they will appeal Wink's conviction.

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