Crime & Safety
Stratford Man Gets 25 Years For Niece's Death
The defendant's sister, who is also the victim's mother, told him she forgave him at the emotional sentencing.
STRATFORD, CT — A Stratford man was sentenced Friday to 25 years behind bars for the fatal shooting of his niece, the Connecticut Post reported. Michael Catchings, 24, pleaded guilty in January to first-degree manslaughter with a firearm and first-degree assault, according to the Post, which reported Catchings shot 27-year-old Raenetta Catchings and injured her boyfriend Aug. 13, 2017, outside her North Avenue home.
A witness told police Catchings was trying to defend his niece — who had left a party at her home to argue with her boyfriend outside — and accidentally shot her instead, according to the Post. Catchings' sister, Leona Catchings, who is also the victim's mother, told Catchings she forgave him at the emotional sentencing, during which Catchings and members of his family shed tears and the judge called the case "heartbreaking," the Post reported.
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