New Plea Deal Approved After Brutal Milford Assault

MILFORD, CT — Russell A. Molleur, 57, will spend at least the next two years in prison after agreeing to a new plea for his assault of Milford woman, Lori Weirzbicki, according to media reports including News 12 CT's Marissa Alter.

The revised sentence is eight years suspended after four years with a minimum of two years behind bars, News 12 CT reports. A protective order is in effect barring Molleur from any contact with Weirzbicki through 2070, News 12 CT reports.

In court on Thursday afternoon, Wierzbicki argued for a longer sentence but she did thank the Judge for tossing the earlier plea deal, Alter reports. Molleur's attorney said he thought the original plea deal should have been honored.

WTNH News 8 reporter Kent Pierce said Wierzbicki called Molleur a “monster” during Thursday's hearing.

While leaving court, Wierzbicki on video via Fox 61's Tony Terzi, says the new plea deal is better than the previous one and it affords her some justice "but I wanted to see him locked up and throw away the key..."

In January, Judge Peter Brown rejected a prior plea deal between Molleur and the State's Attorneys office. Molleur was initially charged with first-degree assault, first-degree strangulation, first-degree unlawful restraint and evidence tampering, but pleaded guilty previously to second-degree assault and first-degree unlawful restraint. If the original plea deal was approved by Brown it could have meant Molleur would have been released from prison for time served.

Both Weirzbicki and her brother, Stratford firefighter Tim McLaughlin, objected to the deal and spoke against it in court in January, as a room filled with supporters, many wearing "Justice for Lori" stickers, looked on.

Weirzbicki told the judge in that January hearing that Molleur attacked her March 9 in her apartment, beating and strangling her to the extent that she repeatedly lost consciousness, before forcing her to strip, rinse off the blood in the shower, and scrub the walls and tub.

"I'm haunted by the memory of standing in that shower in a pool of my own blood," she said, adding she now uses baby wipes to clean herself.

Weirzbicki suffered severe memory loss and lives in fear of Molleur being released, she said back in January. She has multiple sclerosis and walks with a cane.

McLaughlin presented the judge with an online petition with more than 19,000 names asking to throw out the deal.

"I truly, truly feel that he is a danger to whatever community he gets released into," said McLaughlin, who repeatedly teared up while addressing the judge back in January.

Molleur's sister in a letter detailed how the death of Molleur's mother five years ago led Molleur to abuse alcohol and called for him to be placed in a supervised facility, saying Molleur has the mental capacity of a child aged 12 to 15.

>>>Read More at Fox 61.

>>>Read More about the hearing via News 12 CT's Marissa Alter.

>>>.Read More via WTNH News 8's Kent Pierce.

With reporting by Patch's Anna Bybee-Schier