The prosecution will make a formal plea offer to the man accused of using an ax to kill a Milford mother of three in her condo while two of her sons were home, including the 3-year-old he shared with her.

Ewen Dewitt, 44, appeared in Milford Superior Court on Tuesday in the murder of Julie Minogue almost two years ago. The hearing lasted less than two minutes, but progress was made outside the courtroom in reaching a plea agreement.

“There was, I would say, substantive discussion in chambers with both defense counsel, madame prosecutor, myself and the presiding judge, Judge Russo,” said Gene Zingaro, the lawyer for Minogue’s father, Gerald Minogue, who was in court Tuesday.

Milford State's Attorney Margaret E. Kelley told the judge she would put the offer on the record at Dewitt’s next hearing, rather than Tuesday’s hearing, because she hadn’t spoken to Minogue’s father about it yet.

“She needed to have that meeting with Mr. Minogue first,” Zingaro told News 12, adding that he was present for it as well.

Zingaro couldn't disclose the agreement's details but said his client is dissatisfied, though not with the prosecution.

“When you start to talk about numbers, and you start to talk about your daughter's life and the way she was taken from this earth, then any amount of time falls short. So, it is not a dissatisfaction with Attorney Kelly. It is not a dissatisfaction with the plea agreement that is probably going to be offered because he understands the process,” Zingaro explained. “It's a dissatisfaction that the state of Connecticut has seen fit that we are limited to anything less than 1000 years in jail for what this animal did—allegedly.”

Dewitt’s attorney, John Walkley, declined to comment after court but previously said Dewitt wants to resolve the case without going to trial. That’s something Minogue’s father wants too, according to Zingaro.

“This is a trial that would emotionally be very hard,” Zingaro said. “To have the crime scene recounted in public court, to have the family sitting in open court and go through that process is something we want to avoid, but not at all costs.”

Dewitt will return to court Oct. 4 where the offer will be put on the record.

Progress in the case had been held up as both sides awaited a long-delayed psychiatric report concerning Dewitt. It was received over the summer but has not been discussed in court.

On the night of Dec. 6, 2022, Dewitt stormed Minogue’s condo at Salem’s Walk with an ax while her two younger children were home, according to police. Dewitt's arrest warrant stated the 17-year-old was sleeping at the time and initially thought the screaming he heard was from a nightmare. When he ran downstairs, he saw Dewitt standing over his mom holding a bloody ax, the warrant said.

At the time of her death, Minogue had a protective order against Dewitt for a pending assault case from 2019. She'd also recently been granted a restraining order after Dewitt allegedly sent her 220 text messages, including threats. In filing for it, 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 had brought her concerns to police just three weeks before her murder. The officer who handled her report submitted an arrest warrant for Dewitt to the state's attorney's office, but it was sent back seeking more information about the texts and then never resubmitted.

Dewitt wasn’t charged with harassment and violation of a protective order until after Minogue’s murder.

The officer who initially took her complaint, Scott Knablin, was the focus of an internal investigation by the police department and resigned in July 2023.

In June, Gerald Minogue filed a lawsuit against the city of Milford and the police department on behalf his daughter’s estate alleging negligence and carelessness in her death.

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