A man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend with an ax while her two youngest children were home now faces more charges involving the victim. On Wednesday, Ewen Dewitt was served with a new arrest warrant, which News 12 obtained, for harassment and violation of a protective order. It pertains to a complaint Julie Minogue made to Milford police on Nov. 14, three weeks before she was brutally attacked inside her Milford condo. Minogue told police Dewitt, the father of her 3-year-old son, sent her 220 text messages that weekend. She had a protective order against him after a 2019 domestic violence case in which Dewitt allegedly drunkenly threw a playpen at Minogue while she was holding their baby. Minogue sustained a head wound that needed five staples, court documents showed.

An officer spoke with Dewitt on the phone about the complaint, and according to the warrant, Dewitt admitted to calling Minogue “foul names” but wouldn’t come to the police department. Police later submitted an arrest warrant application to the court, but it was never signed. A recent statement from Ansonia/Milford State’s Attorney Margaret E. Kelley said prosecutors immediately reviewed the warrant and returned it to police with a request for additional information, but it was never resubmitted. Why that was the case remains unknown.

News 12 reached out to the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice for clarification on what additional information prosecutors needed but did not hear back. Milford police have not responded to questions about why the warrant wasn’t resubmitted but said the chief would be releasing a statement at some point this week

In the new warrant, police noted that text messages between the former couple showed a troubled relationship. "Some of the text messages from Ewen Dewitt to the victim were derogatory in nature. Some of the text messages from the victim to Ewen Dewitt indicated that the victim did not want Ewen Dewitt to text message her and to leave her alone forever."

In addition to the latest charges, Dewitt is charged with murder, home invasion, risk of injury to a minor, violation of a protective order and violation of a restraining order in connection to Minogue’s death on Dec. 6.

Dewitt appeared in Milford Superior Court in the murder case Wednesday morning. He hung his head at times as he stood beside public defender John Walkley. Walkey and Dewitt’s family declined to comment after. Dewitt is due back Feb. 3.

The brief hearing came one day after Minogue was laid to rest. In her obituary, family wrote, “She was an avid runner and walker, but her greatest passion were her children. As a single mother she did a tremendous job raising three boys which is reflected in their love and dedication to her.” A GoFundMe effort for Minogue’s children has already raised over $130,000.

Just five days before her death, a judge granted Minogue a restraining order against Dewitt. In court documents she wrote, “I am scared for the safety of my children and I. Ewen has got himself into a lot of trouble with drugs and alcohol, and I’m scared he’s going to kill me.”

Minogue’s death is the 11th from intimate partner violence in Connecticut this year, according to the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Last year, there were 16.

A vigil in remembrance of Minogue Sunday drew hundreds of people, including Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz.

“Clearly we need to do more, and we need to get the community involved in trying to identify situations that are dangerous so that we can keep people safe,” Bysiewicz told News 12. “The onus is on all of to prevent violence in domestic situations like this.”