The prosecution in the murder trial of Ellen Wink, the former Norwalk elections official charged with killing her tenant, called its final witnesses Tuesday, intending to rest its case after six days of evidence. Instead, extensive cross-examinations by the defense and arguments by both sides outside the jury’s presence prevented that from happening.

Officer Matthew Sauer, of the Norwalk Police Department, began the morning on the stand, testifying about his response to 16 Nelson Ave. on Sept. 18, 2021—four months before Kurt Lametta was fatally shot. Sauer testified he went there after Lametta called 911 to report his landlord, Wink, had locked him out and threw his stuff in the dump.

“Did you inform her in that initial interaction that she had to legally evict him?” Supervisory State’s Attorney Michelle Manning asked.

"Yes," said Sauer.

“And did she also indicate to you that she had those problems before?” Manning continued.

“Yes,” Sauer responded.

“Did she indicate to you that she's ‘so sick of these laws.’ Do you recall her saying that?” asked Manning.

“Yes, I do,” Sauer said.

That statement was captured on Sauer’s police body-camera footage from the incident, which was played in court for the jury.

In it, Wink told Sauer she took the actions she did because she thought Lametta had moved out, which Lametta denied.

“I want something done about my personal stuff being thrown away—jewelry, important memories. You have no right! You have no right!” Lametta said in the footage as Wink responded, “It’s my house.”

The footage gives context to the relationship between Wink and Lametta, which began to sour the month before when Wink told Lametta to find new housing after an argument with another tenant.

In the video, Wink told Sauer Lametta had issues with the other people who lived in the home and stole their food. She also said she didn’t even care about the back rent he owed; she just wanted Lametta out.

“Nobody likes you! Just go!” Wink yelled to Lametta on camera.

“Ma’am, he’s not leaving,” Sauer was heard saying.

Sauer testified he informed Wink she had to let Lametta back into the house.

“The law is in his favor, so you have to let him in. If you fail to, you're going to get arrested, simple as that,” Sauer said on the video.

Wink refused and was charged with criminal lockout—a misdemeanor but one the prosecution believes goes to motive in Lametta’s death. The state alleges tensions only escalated in the following months, culminating with the fatal shooting on Jan. 20, 2022.

Lametta was secretly recording on his cellphone that day after Wink came into the home to clean out the refrigerator. The footage, which ended up capturing his own death, was played in court several more times Tuesday afternoon.

“That's ridiculous. Every day you're going to come in and throw people's stuff away?” Lametta said seconds before two shots rang out.

“You, bastard!” Wink said, then fired three more times.

Lametta appeared to fall to the ground, dropping his phone. The video temporarily went black but recorded Wink shouting obscenities at Lametta and repeatedly yelling at him to, “Get out!” A few seconds later, Wink picked up Lametta’s phone and left, appearing to toss the phone in a shrub next to the house.

Wink has admitted pulling the trigger five times but told the 911 operator that Lametta came after her. Her attorney Stephan Seeger began laying the groundwork for a self-defense claim last week. On Tuesday, Seeger suggested that a sound heard before the first shots could’ve been Lametta reaching for a weapon in a nearby drawer.

Detective John Sura took the stand again as the state's final witness and testified about security camera footage from a neighbor, which showed Wink's movements after the shooting. Sura said he determined she waited 2 minutes and 20 seconds to call for help.

As Wink waited for police to arrive, her neighbor’s camera captured her bringing her garbage can in from the side of the road and checking her mail.

“Did she provide aid in any way to Mr. Lametta?" Manning asked Sura.

“No,” Sura said.

"Did she prevent aid for him?" Manning continued.

“Yes,” Sura replied.

“In what way?” Manning questioned.

"She took his cellphone from him when he had collapsed," Sura responded.

Wink's trial continues at Stamford Superior Court on Friday. There’s no court Wednesday or Thursday due to prior obligations for the court's judges.

On Friday, the prosecution will rest its case, and the defense is expected to begin calling witnesses. Seeger has given notice of two other possible defenses, along with the self-defense claim—extreme emotional disturbance and mental disease or defect. It’s unclear at this point if he’ll pursue all of them.

The jury is expected to get the case sometime during the week of June 16.