Waterbury

Suspect in Conn. Teen's Death Suffers From Mental Illness: Court Documents

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The man accused of stabbing and killing a 14-year-old in Waterbury Wednesday suffers from mental illness and had just recently been released from the hospital, according to court documents.

Jeimy Cintron, 27, was arrested Wednesday afternoon after police said he got into a fight with and then stabbed the teen. Cintron appeared in court Thursday morning.

Court documents identified the victim as Angel Valez, of Waterbury. Valez would have turned 15 this coming Sunday.

Police responded to the area of Colonial Avenue just after 1:30 p.m. Wednesday for the report of a stabbing.

One of the 911 callers was Cintron's wife, according to court documents.

She told officers she saw her husband arguing with a group of kids and it looked like they were about to fight. She then noticed Cintron running back towards their home and one of the teens hunched over, appearing to be injured.

She also told police Cintron suffers from bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and multiple personality disorder and she did not believe he had been taking his medication, the court documents show. Cintron had been released from Waterbury Hospital's psychiatric ward just two days before the incident, his wife told police.

Valez was rushed to the hospital where he later died.

A witness who was with the group of teens told police that Valez had prior interactions with Cintron and that Cintron began yelling at them and asked Valez if he wanted to fight, according to the court documents. The witness told officers Cintron pulled out a knife but then threw it to the ground and began fighting with Valez, before picking up the knife again and stabbing the 14-year-old, the court documents show.

Valez was a student in the Waterbury Public Schools District.

"The Waterbury Public Schools community has suffered a tremendous loss. On Wednesday, September 29, a student was tragically killed in a senseless act of violence. We extend our deepest condolences to the student’s family," the district said in a statement.

A large crowd gathered outside the Country Village Apartments near Colonial Avenue Wednesday night. People brought balloons and candles to mourn Valez's death.

"He was a good young man. He used to play basketball. He wasn't into problems or none of that. That's why the whole community is so upset," one vigil attendee told NBC Connecticut.

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