Murder suspect appears in court for first time since death of visiting nurse in Conn.

The suspect in the murder of a visiting nurse in Willimantic, appeared in court Wednesday on a violation of probation charge.

Michael Reese's court appearance lasted about one minute, with a judge scheduling a pre-trial hearing for next month and approving mental health and a suicide watch for Reese.

Reese, a convicted sex offender, is a suspect in the death of Joyce Grayson, according to court documents. Grayson had an appointment with Reese at his residence, a halfway house for sex offenders in Willimantic, on the morning of October 28.

Willimantic police were asked to conduct a wellbeing check for Grayson that day after she missed several patient appointments. Police eventually found Grayson dead in the basement of the Chapman Street home. Willimantic Police Chief Paul Hussey called it "one of the worst cases I have seen in 27 years in law enforcement."

Reese was seen leaving the residence. Police arrested him on separate charges. He is facing larceny and drug charges, along with a violation of his probation.

No additional charges have been filed since Grayson's death.

Connecticut State Police are leading the investigation and had no new updates to share with NBC Connecticut Wednesday.

"Investigators need to gather evidence, have evidence processed, speak to witnesses, etc.," a spokesperson for the department wrote in an email.

Grayson's family retained The Reardon Law Firm, a New London-based law firm representing plaintiffs in personal injury and wrongful death claims.

"Of course this is a very difficult time for them and they are eager for there to be an arrest, but that having been said, they know that this is an extremely complicated matter and they have faith in the police department, who have a lot of work to do to sort out what happened that day," said Kelly Reardon, the family's attorney. "They want to make sure that when charges are filed and an arrest is made that the evidence that is needed to prosecute is there."

While police continue their work on the criminal case, Reardon said their law firm is actively investigating the possibility of pursuing civil litigation. She said that the family is very concerned that there were negligent or reckless acts that led to the death of Joyce Grayson.

"This was certainly a preventable death and I am looking forward to being able to assist the family through the litigation process, wherever that takes us," said Reardon.

Grayson's employer, Elara Caring, did not respond to NBC Connecticut's request for comment Wednesday. A spokesperson emailed a statement last week, saying in part, "the safety and wellbeing of our team members is our highest priority. We are providing counseling services for Elara team members impacted by this tragedy and will be fully cooperating with the authorities as their investigation continues.”

In the meantime, Reardon said Grayson's family is hopeful that the Connecticut legislature will take action and come up with ways to protect visiting nurses and other healthcare workers who go into homes to provide care like Joyce did.

State lawmakers met last week, vowing to do more on the state level to protect home healthcare workers. They said they would look at legislation focusing on safety protocols and training for workers, escort requirements, and risk assessment, among other priorities.