Putnam man charged with manslaughter in 2023 stabbing of Thompson

A Putnam man has been extradited from the state of Maine and charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with a fatal stabbing in Thompson and other offenses Thursday, according to Connecticut State Police.

The U.S. Marshals Service arrested Walter Lawson, 41, in Bangor, Maine, on June 12 on three separate warrants for his involvement in incidents that occurred between September 2023 and May 2024, state police said in a news release Friday.

Lawson was charged with first-degree manslaughter in connection with a homicide that occurred in September 2023, state police said in a criminal information summary. He was also charged with possession of drugs with intent to sell to a person under 18, possession of drugs and conspiracy to commit first-degree assault.

He was held on bail totaling more than $1.5 million and was scheduled to be arraigned in state Superior Court in Danielson on Friday, according to state police.

In an arrest warrant for Lawson, a state police detective said Putnam police officers were dispatched to Day Kimball Hospital on Sept. 26, 2023, at approximately 2:45 p.m., for a report of a stabbing.

An officer viewed hospital security footage and saw a GMC Acadia pull up to the entrance to the hospital's birthing center and stop near the front doors, according to the warrant. The footage showed the victim exiting the passenger side of the vehicle, entering the hospital and, after entering the lobby, taking several steps before collapsing to the ground, according to the warrant.

Despite the efforts of medical personnel to save the victim, he was pronounced dead at 3:10 p.m., the arrest warrant states. The victim's name was redacted in the arrest warrant issued Friday by Connecticut State Police.

At the time of the incident, Putnam police identified the deceased man as William Logan, 51, of New Haven. Putnam police said Connecticut State Police took over the investigation after officers learned the incident happened outside of Putnam.

Investigating detectives then examined the victim's body and discovered he had a single stab wound to the left chest, state police said.

In an interview with police, a witness said Lawson and others were at a residence in Thompson when a man, whose name was redacted, entered the home and asked everyone to come out, according to the warrant. The man was accompanied by another man who put his hand in his sweatshirt pocket “as if to indicate he had a weapon,” although the witness “never saw a weapon come out,” according to the warrant.

Lawson and another man began arguing, and Lawson grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt, the witness told police.

The witness said he tried to grab Lawson to leave the house, and a man told him to back off and indicated “he would shoot at the house,” according to the warrant. The witness told police he went out to his car and was about to pull out of the driveway when Lawson and three women came out of the house, according to the warrant. The witness said he then yelled at Lawson to get in the car, according to the warrant.

Police said they obtained surveillance video of the incident through a search warrant. The video, police say, shows Lawson leaving the house around 2:24 p.m. with a backpack and a small box, and the victim immediately behind him. Lawson turns around, faces the victim and tells him to “back off,” police wrote in the warrant.

Police said the victim was seen approaching Lawson with his fists raised in a fighting stance while repeatedly asking him to raise his hands. Lawson was seen pulling an object out of his pocket and telling the man to “back up” and walk backwards, according to the warrant. The victim walked away from Lawson and another man approached to speak to him, according to the warrant.

According to the warrant, the victim was able to move toward Lawson again, walking past the man to get in front of Lawson. Police said the victim appeared to “fake punch,” then throw a punch and, simultaneously, Lawson pushed his right hand toward the victim's torso, police said in the warrant.

Lawson and the victim then walked away from each other, according to the warrant. The victim turned and ran toward the front passenger door of the GMC and Lawson could be heard saying he stabbed the victim, according to the warrant.

As the GMC passed Lawson's Hyundai, the driver could be seen through a rolled-down window and made a “shooting” motion toward Lawson, police said in the warrant.

Police also spoke to other witnesses who described the incident and identified Lawson as the suspect, according to the warrant.

In March 2024, police said they spoke to Lawson while he was being held on unrelated criminal charges in Webster, Massachusetts. He said, according to police, that at the time of the incident, he was living in a hotel room but spending some evenings at a home in Thompson. He said that on Sept. 26, 2023, he was at the Thompson home with the homeowner and four other people, police said. He said the victim and another man were yelling at him that they wanted him to leave the home, police wrote in the warrant.

Lawson told police the victim and the man had met with him about a week before, saying they wanted him to leave the house because they thought he was selling drugs, which they said him, was not true, according to the warrant. He also explained that at that point he said he would leave the house, according to the warrant.

During his interview with police, Lawson said he reached out with the knife because he was trying to stop the victim from punching him in the face, according to the warrant. He said he didn't even realize he had stabbed the victim at that point, and after the victim showed him he had stabbed him, Lawson dropped the knife on the ground and got into his vehicle, according to the warrant.

Lawson told police he asked someone to follow the SUV to make sure the victim got to the hospital, according to the warrant. Lawson also said he felt remorse for what happened and did not intend for the victim to die, according to the warrant.