Windsor Man Guilty In Killing Of East Hartford Man: State

BLOOMFIELD/HARTFORD, CT — A Windsor man has been found guilty of killing a 47-year-old East Hartford man in Bloomfield back in early 2020.

Sharmese L. Walcott, Hartford's state’s attorney, said Thursday that, after a five-week trial, a jury in Hartford Superior Court Monday found Russell Smith, 49, of Windsor, guilty of murder.

The conviction stems from the February 2020 fatal shooting of Franklin Spencer, 47, of East Hartford.

According to evidence introduced at the trial, in the early morning hours of Feb. 22, 2020, the Bloomfield Police Department responded to a shooting at Elizabeth’s Bar and Restaurant.

Officers from the BPD, located across the street from Elizabeth’s Bar and Restaurant, heard gunshots and responded to the scene less than a minute after the shooting.

When officers arrived, they found Aaron Walker, 43, of East Hartford, and Spencer on the ground outside of the restaurant.

Walker had been shot in the chest and the leg and Spencer was shot twice in the head.

Both victims were transported to the hospital where they were pronounced deceased.

The defendant fled the scene but after a 5 ½ -month search, he was taken into custody in Georgia by the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force.

The murder charge the defendant faces in connection with the death of Walker is pending as the jury could not reach a verdict on that count.

Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 29 in Hartford Superior Court.

For the full announcement, click on this link.