Newtown Man Formally Charged With Murder

By Andrew Gorosko

WATERBURY — At a February 21 court appearance, prosecutors formally charged a Newtown man with murder in connection with his alleged brutal beating last November of his estranged wife and her new boyfriend, which later resulted in the boyfriend’s death.

In Waterbury Superior Court, Nicholas Clark, 31, waived his rights to a probable cause hearing, in effect, allowing the state to formally charge him with murder. Defendants have the right to such a hearing, if they choose, before a murder charge is formally lodged against them.

Mr Clark pleaded “not guilty” to the five charges pending against him in connection with his alleged November 17 pipe-wielding attack in Waterbury against his estranged wife Christa, 29, and her boyfriend Erich Tabert, 26. Mr Tabert died on November 19 of injuries resulting from blunt force head trauma, a medical examiner determined.

In court, Mr Clark pleaded “not guilty” to murder, murder during the commission of a felony, first degree assault resulting in serious physical injury, first-degree burglary with a deadly weapon, and violation of a protective order. Mr Clark elected to have a jury trial on the charges.

The defendant is next scheduled to appear in Waterbury Superior Court on April 29 for a conference at which his lawyer, prosecutors, and a judge will have a closed-door discussion on the status of the criminal case.

Mr Clark is scheduled to appear in Danbury Superior Court on March 3, where he is facing one count of attempted second-degree assault and two counts of third-degree assault. He has not yet pleaded to those charges. Those charges stem from an incident that occurred at a Danbury nightclub in the hours before Mr Clark alleged attacked his wife and her boyfriend in Waterbury. The defendant was arrested and arraigned on the three charges on February 13.

Mr Clark currently is being held on $2,525,000 bail at the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield.

In his February 21 appearance in Courtroom 2-B before Judge Robert C. Brunetti, a shackled and handcuffed Mr Clark wore a bright yellow prison jumpsuit.

Attorney John R. Gulash, Jr, of Bridgeport, representing Mr Clark, told the judge that Mr Clark would waive the probable cause hearing.

Judge Brunetti asked the defendant whether he understood that he had the right to such a hearing if he chose. Mr Clark indicated that he understood his rights.

At such a hearing, the prosecution describes its criminal case against the defendant, and a judge decides whether there is sufficient evidence to lodge a murder charge.

After court, Mr Gulash declined to discuss the substance of the criminal cases pending against Mr Clark.

Waterbury police have said that at about 4:30 am on Saturday, November 17, as Mr Tabert and Christa Clark slept, Mr Clark burglarized his former Waterbury house at 49 Knoll Street in the East End. Mr Clark then allegedly beat the couple with a metal pipe and fled the scene, according to police.

The Clarks were in the process of getting a divorce. Mr Clark formerly lived at the Waterbury address where the attack occurred before moving to Newtown while his divorce was underway.

After the assaults occurred, Waterbury police contacted Newtown police informing them of the incident. Newtown police then went to the Newtown location where the Clarks’ children were staying in order to protect them in the event that Mr Clark should go there.

By arrangement with Mr Clark, Waterbury police arrested him on November 17 in Newtown at the commuter parking lot on Wasserman Way, near Exit 11 of Interstate 84.