Legendary Former New Haven Chief Public Defender Found Dead in NY

NEW HAVEN, CT — The Connecticut legal community and beyond is mourning the death of former New Haven Chief Public Defender Thomas Ullmann, 67, who was found dead while hiking in the Adirondack Mountains in New York, the New Haven Register's Luther Turmelle reports.

The body was found outside of Indian Lake, New York on a hiking trail. Ullmann's cause of death has not yet been released. The Register reports that Ullmann retired last year after a 32-year-career in the New Haven Public Defender's office.

According to his Yale University biography, Ullmann was a Visiting Clinical Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School. He joined the New Haven Public Defender's office in 1985 and was named chief public defender in 1992.

"In his role, Ullmann provides indigent clients with legal defenses in major felony cases in the towns and cities that comprise the New Haven Judicial District. He was recognized as a "Champion of Liberty" by the Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association in 2011 and for "Distinguished Service to the Bar" by the Connecticut Law Tribune in 1995," according to his Yale University biography.

When Ullmann retired, the New Haven Independent's Paul Bass wrote an in-depth story about his legacy.

According to the New Haven Independent, Ullmann "made a mark as a passionate advocate for indigent accused criminals and as a dogged opponent of the death penalty. In both day-to-day and headline-grabbing cases, he won the freedom of the falsely accused and spared the life of one high-profile killer."

Ullmann's biggest case was his defense of Steven J. Hayes in the 2007 Cheshire home invasion case where Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky murdered Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters, Michaela, 11, and Hayley, 17.

For an in-depth look at Ulmann's illustrious career, read the full New Haven Independent story here.

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