Connecticut
Employer of nurse killed in Connecticut halfway house facing $160K fine
A major health care provider is facing a $163,627 fine in connection with the murder of a nurse in a Connecticut halfway house.
The Department of Labor announced the citations Wednesday against Elara Caring in the death of Joyce Grayson.
Grayon, 63, was working at a halfway house in Willimantic on Oct. 28, 2023 when she was attacked and killed by Michael Reese, according to authorities. Reese, a 39-year-old convicted rapist, has been charged with her murder.
“Elara Caring failed its legal duty to protect employees from workplace injury by not having effective measures in place to protect employees against a known hazard and it cost a worker her life,” Occupational Safety and Health Administration Area Director Charles D. McGrevy said in a statement.
“For its employees’ well-being, Elara must develop, implement and maintain required safeguards such as a comprehensive workplace violence prevention program. Workplace safety is not a privilege; it is every worker’s right.”
Grayson had been a nurse for 36 years, including 26 years with the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. She was set to administer medication to Reese, who was on probation after serving 14 years in prison for stabbing and raping a woman in 2006.
According to OSHA, Elara Caring “exposed home health care employees to workplace violence from patients who exhibited aggressive behavior and were known to pose a risk to others,” yet the company had no harm-prevention plan in place.
Reese strangled Grayson to death and struck her on the head and torso while attempting to rob and sexually assault her, police said. He admitted to the crime in a phone call shortly afterward, according to investigators.
“I’m going to take the first offer that they give me as long as the charges are right,” he said, according to a warrant. “I’ve already come to terms that this is it for me.”
ROCKY HILL, Conn. (WFSB) – People like Dena Pizzoferrato are changing what they put in their grocery carts after hearing about a cyclosporiasis outbreak.
“I’m kind of a little nervous so I’m looking to see what I buy right now,” Pizzoferrato said. “Today I didn’t buy any lettuce. I said I’m OK for now.”
Doctors say the illness is spread through parasites that make their way onto fresh produce. There have been 23 reported cases in Connecticut since May, but the CDC says the number is likely higher. Across the country, more than 840 cases and 86 hospitalizations have been reported in 31 states.
Symptoms include diarrhea and nausea that can last days to weeks. Doctors have not identified a source for the outbreak.
Dr. Ulysses Wu, chief epidemiologist at Hartford HealthCare, said a range of produce could be contaminated.
“Typical things you would think are vegetables or fruits. In the past, it’s been raspberries, basil, cilantro. You may find it in lettuces, bagged salads. So it’s a variety of things that can be contaminated, but they have not found it at this time,” said Wu.
Wu said residents should take precautions with their produce. “Take precautions with your fruit and your produce. We give the same advice when people go overseas that you should always peel something. You should always boil something,” he said.
Doctors also recommend washing produce thoroughly if boiling is not an option, and washing hands regularly.
Copyright 2026 WFSB. All rights reserved.
Chip Rubenstein, owner of Chip’s Auto Sales of Milford, says he’s honored to celebrate the dealership’s 50th anniversary alongside America’s 250th birthday.
“I opened Chip’s Auto Sales in 1976, during a chaotic time for our nation in the world,” said Rubenstein, “50 years later, I am so proud of the legacy I’ve created as somebody who always tried his best to do right, and to serve my community proudly.”
Intense flames engulfed a car early Saturday morning in Trumbull.
Officials say it happened around 3:30 a.m. on Richfield Drive near the Bridgeport town line.
Trumbull and Bridgeport fire crews worked to put out the flames.
It was not immediately known how the fire started or if there were any injuries.
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