Years After Body Found In Car, Southington Man Charged

SOUTHINGTON, CT — A Southington man has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with a 2021 homicide in Somers, marking the second arrest in the long-running state police investigation.

Zachary Joseph Apt, 34, was taken into custody Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, at his residence in Southington by members of the Connecticut State Police Eastern District Major Crime Squad, Bureau of Special Investigations, Emergency Services Unit and the Southington Police Department, according to a Criminal Information Summary.

Apt is charged with murder, conspiracy to commit third-degree robbery, criminal use of a firearm, conspiracy to commit first-degree assault, conspiracy to commit second-degree kidnapping with a firearm, and tampering with physical evidence.

The charges stem from the Aug. 5, 2021 death of Jason Comes, 38, of Wilbraham, Massachusetts. Comes was found around 10:25 a.m. inside a vehicle in a remote section of Durkee Road in Somers, according to state police.

Apt was processed at Troop C in Tolland and later turned over to the custody of the Hartford Correctional Center. He is being held on a $2.5 million court-set bond and is scheduled to appear Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Rockville Superior Court for arraignment. The arrest warrant remains sealed.

State police previously arrested Timothy Lange, 35, of New Britain, in February on charges including felony murder and first-degree kidnapping in connection with the same case. Lange is being held on a $1.5 million bond.

The investigation remains active, according to authorities.