Arrest Made In Homicide At Abandoned Middletown Factory Building

MIDDLETOWN, CT — Police in Middletown have charged a local man in connection with a homicide investigation that dates back to the fall.

On Thursday, 34-year-old Julio Wright was taken into custody in court, where he was appearing in three separate cases, police said. He has been charged with murder and tampering with evidence and was being held on a $2 million bond.

Wright had already been in custody in unrelated cases on bonds totaling $120,000 connected to a witness tampering case, an assault case and a criminal mischief case, all out of Middletown, records show.

According to case records, on Nov. 4, Middletown officers were conducting a property check at 225 River Road — the Jackson Corrugated Building — when they discovered the body of a 67-year-old man who was later identified as Roger Davis. The man seemingly had been dragged to a bathroom near a "makeshift bedroom" in the building and was located under a black plastic covering, according to a warrant.

The Officer Of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide. Davis had multiple skull fractures, and torso injuries, according to a warrant. He appeared to have been hit by a large piece of wood.

The Middletown Police Major Investigations Unit detectives began a lengthy and detailed investigation that spanned several months. Physical and forensic evidence from the scene — including a latex glove found near Davis — and from Davis' body, connected Wright to the killing, according to a warrant.

Wright frequently entered the building and was know to have slept in the makeshift bedroom, according to a warrant. Davis, who used a wheelchair, also used the building, according to a warrant.

Wright claimed his DNA was at the scene because he was cleaning the bathroom.

Anyone with further information regarding the homicide is being asked to contact the Major Investigations Unit at 860-638-4140.