A man was given 40 years in jail for killing his ex-girlfriend, a mother of three, in her Milford home in 2022 while two of her children were there.
Ewen Dewitt, who is 45 years old, took a plea deal in March that gave him 40 years to serve.
This was the first time the court had heard from Julie Minogue’s sister, mother, and oldest son, Nicholas, since the brutal murder on Thursday.
Allison Barotti-Corcoran, Minogue’s sister, was the first person to speak in court.
“My family will always remember the night of December 6, 2022.” I wish I could describe the sadness we still feel and go through every day.
She then said that the killing of her sister was horrible and disgusting.
“Many nights I lie awake and think about the last few minutes and what they must have been like.” She said, “I can’t imagine how scared and hurt she must have been in those last moments of her life.”
Sandra Toepper, Minogue’s mother, talked about how very sad her family is that her daughter was taken away.
Toepper said, “Because he cut her up, he wouldn’t let me or my family see her before the funeral. We couldn’t even see her or say goodbye to her.”
She spoke straight to Dewitt while holding back tears.
“He changed our lives forever.” What a bad person. I hope he goes to hell and rots there.
Nicholas Minogue, Julie’s oldest son, read out loud the third victim impact statement.
“Ewen, you disgusting coward! You killed our mother, a strong, beautiful woman who raised three boys by herself.” She was 100 times the person you will ever be—a woman who couldn’t defend herself.
At the court hearing, it came out that Nicholas wasn’t in Connecticut when his mother was killed, but his pain was clear as he spoke for his mother and younger boys.
“You didn’t just kill our mom; you showed what a sad, empty, useless person you are. You failed as a man, a father, a brother, and most of all, you failed at life.” After all the things you did wrong, you are now in this courtroom, where you are shamed and given a punishment. That’s all you deserve.
Gerald Minogue, Kylie’s father, was the last person from the Minogue family to speak. He has been to all of the court dates in his daughter’s murder case.
«I’m somewhat relieved that these procedures are coming to an end, but I will always carry the horrible thought of how my daughter must have felt when she was being brutally hacked to death by a monster with an axe.
The court also heard from Claud Chong, Dewitt’s lawyer.
Chong tried to explain Dewitt’s behavior to the people in the courtroom.
“Because he was drinking, using drugs, depressed, and had PTSD, he lost control and acted out of anger and range, which is behavior that we all agree is wrong.” Lawyer Chong said, “Your honor, I’m not here to make excuses for Mr. Dewitt; I’m here to explain.”
The judge’s use of the word “impulsive” led State’s Attorney Margaret Kelley to make it clear that Dewitt’s actions were not impulsive but planned, which made Dewitt lose it in court.
The judge had to step in and stop them.
“I know what you’re going through, Mr. Dewitt, but I need to remind you that this is a clean place.” As long as you keep acting out like that, I have no choice but to ask you to leave the court, the judge said.
Dewitt replied, “That’d be great.”
The judge then said that the sentencing would go on and told Dewitt to stay cool so that the process could continue.
Julie Minogue, 40, was killed with an ax in her home in December 2022, police said. Her three- and seventeen-year-old children were also there.
Dewitt had been given a restraining order just a few days before the deadly attack.
In November 2019, Milford police arrested Dewitt on suspicion of attacking Minogue, and they said they would keep her safe.
Police say Minogue got a full no-contact restraining order on December 1, 2022, after she told them Dewitt had sent her threatening text messages.
This is what NBC Connecticut found: proof that Minogue told cops she thought Dewitt was going to kill her.
After five days, she was found dead in her home by the cops.
It was alleged that Dewitt killed someone, put a child at risk of harm, broke into someone’s home, broke a restraining order, and broke a protective order.
Court records show that Dewitt pleaded guilty to two of the charges. Dewitt was given a 40-year sentence for murder and a 10-year sentence for risk of injury on Thursday. Both sentences will be served at the same time.
