Public Defender Appointed For Murder Suspect

A 31-year-old man accused of killing his fiancé made his first appearance in the on Monday.

Evens St. Hilaire, wearing a khaki prison uniform, briefly appeared before Judge Patrick J. Clifford. St. Hilaire is accused of fatally stabbing 25-year-old Lynda Sanon on the evening of March 19. An interpreter was present to assist with any statement St. Hilaire would make, but he remained silent throughout the proceedings.

Clifford appointed Public Defender Kevin C. Barrs to represent St. Hilaire. Barrs said he will likely waive a probable cause hearing, but wanted more time to discuss the possibility with St. Hilaire. Clifford set April 19 as the date for the St. Hilaire's next appearance in court, saying the 60-day deadline to request a probable cause hearing would not begin until that day.

According to court documents, St. Hilaire said he and Sanon were engaged to be married in May, but had been arguing frequently. He said Sanon showed up unexpectedly at his residence at the Courtview Square Apartments on Crystal Ave. and the two got into an argument. St. Hilaire said Sanon threatened to jump out the window, then got a knife from the dresser in the bedroom. St. Hilaire said he felt threatened, grabbed the knife, and stabbed Sanon in the throat.

St. Hilaire told police he didn't intend to kill Sanon, and tried unsuccessfully to revive her via CPR. He said he cleaned the knife and changed his clothes before taking Sanon's car. He started driving to her mother's house in Wallingford, calling other family members to tell them what had happened and urging them to call 911. He also called 911 to report the incident while on I-95. St. Hilaire ultimately decided to turn around to return to New London and turned himself in to a state trooper he spotted along the way.

St. Hilaire worked as a dealer at Mohegan Sun for over 10 years. According to her obituary, Sanon had been working for over five years as a medical assistant to Dr. Anatoly Braylovsky at the Family Practice of Greater New Haven and studying to be a nurse.

St. Hilaire remains incarcerated on a $1 million cash or surety bond.