Waterbury Man In Garner For Shooting Death Hangs Himself

(AP) – State police are investigating the death of a Waterbury man who was found hanged in his prison cell nearly five years after he shot his wife to death.

Gregg Kirwan was serving a 20-year prison sentence at the Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown for the November 14, 1995, shooting death of his 29-year-old wife, Billie Kirwan. He was found hanged in his cell about 1:45 pm, October 22.

State Department of Correction spokeswoman Christina Polce said she isn’t sure what Kirwan used to hang himself.

“An officer was in the process of performing a routine 15-minute tour of housing when he observed Kirwan hanging and called medical staff,” Polce said. “Life-saving efforts began.”

Kirwan was transferred to Danbury Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy done at the Medical Examiner’s Office in Farmington determined Kirwan’s death was asphyxiation by neck depression. His death was ruled a suicide.

Kirwan was convicted of killing his wife in 1995 while four of the couple’s five young sons were present. Billie Kirwan died later that day at St Mary’s Hospital.

Police arrested Kirwan just hours after he called 911 to report that he had shot his wife in the head at their Waterbury duplex. When police arrived, Kirwan met them outside and was carrying his infant.

Kirwan accepted a plea-bargain after the state agreed to reduce the murder count to first-degree manslaughter with a firearm.