Man Sentenced In Fatal Stabbing Outside Wallingford Bar

WALLINGFORD, CT — A Meriden man has been sentenced to 16 years in prison in connection with the stabbing death of a Wallingford man outside a bar in January 2021, New Haven State’s Attorney John P. Doyle Jr. announced Wednesday.

Ernesto G. Cipolli III, 32, of Wallingford, was killed after being stabbed multiple times during a fight outside the Corner Café, 321 Church St. in the Yalesville section of Wallingford, on Jan. 16, 2021, according to police.

Kristopher Carlson, 25, was arrested and charged with murder at the time. Carlson had claimed he was acting in self-defense in the fatal stabbing. He was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter following a jury trial in May, according to Doyle.

“Evidence from the trial established that Carlson stabbed the victim multiple times during a physical altercation outside of the Corner Café in Wallingford,” Doyle wrote in a news release. “At the sentencing hearing, family members of the victim and defendant presented emotional pleas to the Court. Prior to imposing the 16-year sentence, Judge [Elpedio N.] Vitale remarked that the incident was a wholly avoidable tragedy.”

Cipolli was a Sheehan graduate who worked as an electrician, according to his obituary.

“Ernesto loved all, and held his loved ones close to his heart,” the obituary reads. “He grew up spending countless hours with friends skateboarding, riding bikes, racing dirtbikes, and playing Yalesville Little League Baseball. He never wasted a moment and lived every second to the fullest.”