David H. Grant, the suspect in the of a 22-year-old woman Thursday night on Westphal Street, was charged with murder and is being held on $2 million bond, said.
Grant, 25, of 173 Simsbury Road, was expected to be arraigned today in Hartford Superior Court.
Police said the victim, Suzete Berrincha, was stabbed several times Thursday afternoon at her home at 60 Westphal St. Berrincha was found in the basement by officers and was taken by ambulance to Hartford Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Police said Grant and Berrincha, a graduate, were apparently in a previous dating relationship.
A neighbor called police about 4:15 p.m. after hearing a possible fight, police said. Grant was seen fleeing north from the home, possibly toward I-84, and police sealed the neighborhood, sweeping through yards and structures.
Grant left his car in the driveway with his passport inside, police said.
About two hours after the initial call to police, Officers Dominic Creaco and James Mahoney of the Community Interaction Team found Grant trying to hide in a garage behind 116 Caya Ave. – one block north from Westphal. He was taken into custody at 6:15 p.m., police said.
Berrincha was a 2010 UConn graduate who reportedly majored in human development and family studies.
The three-bedroom home on Westphal Street, located between Prospect and Oakwood Avenues, is owned by Jose M. and Maria T. Berrincha, according to town property records. The Berrinchas apparently moved into the 1,482-square-foot house in August 2005.
Murders are rare in West Hartford.
In 2009 in West Hartford, Jose Lacouture was accused of murder in the stabbing death of his wife, 23-year-old Gina Lacouture. He pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in May 2010 and was sentenced to five years after successful pleas for leniency.
Ciara McDermott, a Newington police officer, was shot to death in her Ridgewood Road home in a murder/suicide in November 2005 involving a former boyfriend, Victor Diaz, also a state trooper.
