A Hartford man who was on trial, accused of the triple murders of a husband, wife and their son in Griswold in December 2017, has been found guilty on 13 of 14 counts, according to the court clerk's office.
Sergio Correa, 30, of Hartford, was arrested on 14 charges, including arson and murder and the trial has spanned nearly a month.
During their arguments, attorneys for both sides urged jurors to review all evidence carefully as they decided Correa's fate.
Correa was accused of killing three members of the Lindquist family -- Kenneth, Janet, and their son Matthew -- setting their home and car on fire and robbing the family's home.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
Correa was charged with one count of murder with special circumstances, three counts of murder, one count of murder in the commission of an arson, three counts of murder in the commission of a felony, arson, burglary, home invasion, and robbery.
The verdict came on the third day of jury deliberations and Sergio Correa was found guilty on all counts except the felony murder of Matthew, according to the court clerk's office.
In his closing argument, state’s attorney Stephen Carney presented evidence including cell phone records, eye witness accounts and testimony from detectives. He asked the jury to focus on the “hallmarks of veracity” that he said he believed would lead them to find Correa guilty.
Local
Following the prosecution team, one of Correa's defense attorneys, Joseph Lopez, asked jurors to focus on the “hallmarks of dishonesty” in the case and reminded jurors that they did not dispute that the crimes happened, but they did dispute who is responsible.
Lopez called into question one of the state's eyewitnesses, Ruth Correa, Sergio's adoptive sister and said she was with her brother in Griswold when the murders happened. She was also charged but entered into a 40-year plea deal in exchange for her testimony. She testified against her brother earlier in the trial.
Lopez asked jurors multiple times to consider if they can trust Ruth Correa.
Prosecutors maintained that the sister's allegations do hold up and pointed out other key evidence in their case, including records from Sergio Correa's cellphone.
The Lindquist family released a statement after Tuesday's guilty verdict:
"It would be ignorant to presume that we are celebrating a guilty verdict as if it's some kind of victory. Do not be misled: A guilty verdict does not mean justice has prevailed; it does not mean the judicial system works; it does not mean we get to return to normal and move on with the lives we once knew. The lives that were taken at the hands of cold-blooded killers can never be returned, yet at least one of those unremorseful killers could have a life after prison after committing some of the most heinous acts in Connecticut's recent history. Meanwhile, the nightmare of what happened will haunt us forever. The best we can do to honor the lives of Mom, Dad, and Matthew is to fight to reform a horribly broken judicial system that is failing to serve and protect our communities."
