'Person of Interest' in Darien Cop Killing Case Arraigned on Narcotics Charges

A man named a ”person of interest” in the 1981 shooting death of a Darien Police Officer was arraigned Wednesday morning, Hearst Connecticut Media Group reports.

Anthony Sabato, 57, of West Haven was arrested in March on federal drug and firearm offenses.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, an undercover officer bought drugs from Sabato and Joel Roman, 25 between January and March. The two arranged to sell the officer two ounces of crack for $4,000 and also arranged to buy, illegally, a firearm from the undercover officer, prosecutors said in a news release.

The three met at Sabato’s home in West Haven to conclude the deal, which is when the two suspects were arrested, prosecutors said in the statement.

Related:

‘Person of Interest’ in Darien Cop Killing Now Arrested in Separate Federal Case

The men were each charged with “conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base,” which carries a maximum prison term of 40 years. The investigation was conducted by FBI’s New Haven Safe Streets Task Force, with the help of the two local police departments.

In 2004, Sabato was publicly named as a person of interest in the unsolved killing of Kenneth E. Bateman Jr., who was gunned down on May 31, 1981.

In 2011, Sabato was arrested (in an unrelated case) at his home in West Haven by Wallingford police on a third-degree assault charge.

Read the full Hearst story here.

Picture (Wallingford Police Department): June 10, 2011 Arrest photo of Anthony Sabato from an unrelated case

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