The man accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend appeared before a judge Tuesday in New Britain.
Vincent Blair, 47, is facing a murder charge after police say he shot Moenisha Collins, 27, in early December. Police say he fled to Pennsylvania after the crime and was extradited back to Connecticut on Monday.
Stream Connecticut News for free, 24/7, wherever you are.
WATCH HEREAccording to an arrest report, police tracked Blair through his cell phone to a location in Pennsylvania. Local police found him at a hotel where they said he was staying with another woman who he shares children with.
On Tuesday, Collins’ family packed the courtroom for Blair’s arraignment. They watched on tearfully as many came face-to-face with Blair for the first time.
Get top local Connecticut stories delivered to you every morning with the News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP “They should not feed him, they should let him suffer because the 10-year-old great-grandchild of mine has gone without her mother,” Rev. Deborah Copeland, Collins’ great aunt, said. “I wanted to jump over that bench and bust him up.”
Many of Collins’ own family members discovered her body inside her apartment, including her 10-year-old daughter. An officer reported driving in the area when hearing the screams of Collins’ loved ones after the gruesome discovery.
“Her mother was taken from her in a tragic, horrible way and she had to see it. She was the first one to see it,” Justina Collins, the victim’s sister, said. “I had to have some figits in my hand just to try to hold my emotions and keep myself together because I’m upset that he’s even alive right now.”
Local
Collins believes her sister was killed because she broke up with Blair. She said her sister had been dating him since the summer, but recently told her he’d become aggressive.
“She just didn’t want to be bothered with him anymore, and that does not give him the right to take her life,” Copeland said.
The family said Collins was pregnant at the time of her death with Blair’s child. They want to see him face a second murder charge.
New Britain police said they’ll explore that option once they get the results of the autopsy report.
“My life changed in an instant. Knowing that a monster took my sister away from me and my family and her daughter, and our life is forever changed by that. Forever,” Collins said.
Blair’s bond was set at $5 million, and the judge ordered he post 75% of that bond in cash. He’ll be back in court on Jan. 3.
