CT man pleads guilty to murder of teen walking home from school

A Connecticut man has pleaded guilty to murder in the case of a high school freshman who was shot to death on a hiking trail while walking home from school, authorities said. the state.

As a result of a plea agreement, Jenigh Ward, 20, of Hamden, will face a total sentence of 35 years in prison when he is sentenced in New Haven Superior Court on Aug. 12, 2024, authorities said. the state.

Authorities said Elijah Gomez was killed on May 9, 2022. Hamden officers responded to a report of shots fired around 2:30 p.m. on May 9 at Farmington Canal Linear Park near Treadwell Street, police said. Police found a gunshot victim on the canal line and, despite the efforts of first responders, he was pronounced dead at the scene, police said at the time.

Gomez was a freshman at Hamden High School. The shooting was “captured by nearby surveillance cameras and showed Ward – along with two unidentified individuals” – following Gomez as he walked home from school. “Ward shot Gomez multiple times and fled the scene. He was identified by surveillance cameras in the area, as well as his car, clothing and ballistic evidence recovered from his bedroom that matched that found at the shooting scene,” authorities said.

State's Attorney John P. Doyle, Jr. said he is grateful to the Hamden Police Department for its investigation of the case, which is ongoing. “Ward’s senseless act of violence ended the life of 15-year-old Elijah as he innocently walked home from school. Although Ward will be held accountable, we are actively investigating the identities of the other two individuals involved,” Doyle said in a statement.

Anyone with information regarding the identity of the two unknown suspects involved in the case is asked to contact the Hamden Police Department's Major Crimes Unit at (203) 230-4040.