Manchester Man Gets 3-Plus Decades In Prison For Brutal Killing Of Pregnant Woman In Vernon

VERNON, CT — Almost three years to the day, a judge in Rockville Superior Court has ordered a Manchester man to serve more than three decades in prison in connection with the brutal murder of a pregnant woman at a Vernon apartment complex.

Craig P. Nowak, the state's attorney for the Tolland Judicial District, said that Abdul Mboob, 26, of Manchester, was sentenced Tuesday by Judge Alyce L. Alfano to serve 34 years in prison for the 2023 murder of Anastasia Paul.

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On May 1, Mboob entered a guilty in Rockville Superior Court to the charges of murder and risk of Injury to a minor.

Nowak said the prison sentence was negotiated with and suggested by the court after Mboob had initially rejected a plea offer from the state which would have allowed counsel to argue for a sentence of between 35 to 45 years of incarceration. Defense counsel had countered with a sentence of 28 years in prison, Nowak said.

At 12:07 p.m. on July 17, 2023, Vernon police responded to the Ledgecrest apartment complex at 79 Brooklyn Street for a welfare check. Upon arrival, they discovered the body of a woman, later identified as Paul, who was 22 at the time, police records show.

The check was requested by the Mboob's brother, who became concerned after Mboob began acting erratically and abruptly dropped off the couple's child without explanation, according to case records. During questioning, Mboob admitted to strangling Paul, who was pregnant at the time, according to case records.

Mboob also told police he had recently been released from prison and had stopped taking his psychiatric medications a month earlier due to side effects, according to case records.

A police report indicates the couple's 1-year‑old child was in the apartment during the homicide.

Paul had previously filed two restraining orders against Mboob, including one in May 2023 and one in April 2023, according to case records. Both orders were dismissed when Paul did not appear for scheduled court dates, according to case records.

According to case records, Mboob had a history of domestic violence involving Paul. He had previously been charged with violating a protective order she had against him and had multiple prior convictions for abusing her, for which he had already served time in prison, Nowak said.

Supervisory Assistant State's Attorney Emily Trudeau prosecuted the case with the assistance of Inspector Phillip Clark and the Vernon Police Department.