Suspect Arraigned in 2014 Simsbury Murder Case: UPDATED

SIMSBURY, CT — A former town resident and convicted sex offender was arraigned in Enfield Superior Court Monday, after his arrest Sunday on a warrant charging him with the murder of a female jogger nearly four years ago.

William W. Leverett, 27, walked into Simsbury police headquarters Wednesday and confessed to the stabbing death of insurance company executive Melissa Millan, according to an affidavit supporting his arrest.

He made a five-minute appearance in Enfield Superior Court Monday before Judge Sheila M. Prats, who kept his bail at $2 million. His case will ne continued Oct. 9 in Hartford Superior Court.

Millan, 54, was found stabbed to death shortly after 8 p.m. on Nov. 20, 2014 along Iron Horse Boulevard near a paved pedestrian trail known as "The Greenway." An autopsy revealed she died of a stab wound to the upper left chest area, which penetrated about three and a half inches into her chest cavity, puncturing a lung and a portion of the heart, according to the affidavit.

A reward of $40,000 was offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the murderer, but no witnesses came forward.

Leverett walked into the Simsbury Police Department around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, accompanied by several members of his church, and confessed to the crime.

He told police he had been in Hartford earlier in the day on the evening of the murder at a sex offender's therapy group. He said when he returned home, nobody was there, not even the dog, and he was lonely. He said he wanted to go for a walk along the path near Iron Horse Boulevard in hopes of finding someone to talk with, according to the affidavit.

Leverett is listed on the state's sex offender registry, with his previous address given as 21 Goodrich Road in Simsbury and his current address being 11 Seymour Road in Windsor Locks. According to registry records, he was convicted in Colorado of sexual assault on a child in 2011. He moved to Connecticut that same year.

In his interview with police, Leverett provided details that had not been released during the investigation, including movements of Millan prior to, during and after the attack and a detailed description of her attire, according to the affidavit.

He said he saw Millan on the running path and that he was immediately attracted to her physical features. After she ran past him, Leverett got into his vehicle and drove further down the street with the intention of parking and getting "next to her," according to the affidavit.

Leverett said he only wanted a chance to speak with her, but "something happened" and before he knew it, he had stabbed her in the chest with a knife he was carrying, according to the affidavit.

Leverett told police that when he realized Millan was "way out of my league," he became angry and " went into a frenzy," at which time he decided to attack the woman, according to the affidavit.

The case will be prosecuted by the Office of the State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Hartford. The homicide was investigated by the Simsbury Police Department with support from the FBI, the
Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, the Hartford Police Department,
the Avon Police Department, the Connecticut State Police, the Cold Case Unit in the Office of the
Chief State’s Attorney, the Office of the State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Hartford, the
Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Forensic Science Laboratory and the Office
of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Photo courtesy of Simsbury Police Department

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