Connecticut Man Allegedly Kills Sister He Was Caring For, Then Places Silent 911 Call

A man from Connecticut who was tasked with caring for his Alzheimer ’s-affected sister killed her in a drunken and frenetic state, according to authorities. He called 911 after killing her and remained silent on the call, authorities said. He was arrested and charged with murder.

A 56-year-old man identified as Sean McCormack is charged with murder in connection with the death of 69-year-old Donna Caponera, according to court records. He is currently being held on a $2 million bond. Caponera was McCormack’s Alzheimer ’s-affected sister. Authorities said McCormack was Caponera’s in-home caregiver and held power of attorney because of her Alzheimer’s

On May 16, dispatchers around Edgemere Road in the East Haven area in Connecticut received a call, apparently from McComack, according to reports from the regional NBC affiliate WVIT. The caller apparently did not speak and hung up.

Police responded to the area where the siblings lived, and officers found an intoxicated McCormack. He showed them to the living room, where his sister lay unresponsive on the floor. The defendant allegedly sat bleeding from the inside of his arm next to an open bottle of vodka, discarded cigarettes, and a kitchen knife.

“She f—--- passes away,” McCormack told police, according to an arrest warrant cited by local ABC affiliate WTNH. Caponera was lying in a pool of blood and appeared to have a phone charging cord wrapped around her neck. Caponera was pronounced dead, and McCormack was taken into police custody. He had reportedly soiled his pants and shown signs of self-harm.

When McCormack was taken to a hospital, he allegedly made several incriminating statements, such as “I just killed…” and “Now she’s f—--- lying here dead,” as well as “I can’t believe what I just did.”

According to court documents, investigators spoke with other family members and learned that the defendant was a recovering alcoholic. He had been a good caregiver to his sister, they said, but Caponera had been growing increasingly angry in the late stages of her Alzheimer’s disease and was hitting her brother.

McCormack was becoming burdened out because he was not sleeping enough and was attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings online, authorities said.

There were notes in the East Haven home, the court documents stated. On one of them, McCormack allegedly wrote, “This is what Alzheimer’s will do to you.”

The defendant is expected to return to court on June 3.