Crime & Safety

Looking Back: A Murder in New Canaan

Ann Viner was hit on the head with a blunt object and left to drown in her swimming pool at her Rosebrook Road home on Dec. 10, 1986.

 

[Editor's note: Unless otherwise noted, this information was gleaned from several articles which appeared in the Dec. 18, 1986 and Feb. 5, 1987 editions of The New Canaan Advertiser. This article has been updated to note Terrence Boyd's guilty plea in regards to the second trial for felony murder.]

Energetic, talented and articulate. She was a hard-working, elegant woman with a great sense of humor. A “creative thinker and feisty debater completely dedicated to her objectives and ideals and tireless in rising to meet new challenges.”

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That’s how the friends and neighbors remembered Ann W. Viner at her funeral nearly 26 years ago, as reported by the New Canaan Advertiser in its Dec. 18, 1986 edition.

Prior to the tragic events of last Friday, Viner was the last New Canaan resident to be murdered in town. She was 63.

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On Wednesday, Dec. 10, 1986, two young men who lived in town their whole lives went to Viner’s residence on Rosebrook Road. The men, who were both 20, were disillusioned with the jobs they recently held.

They would both show up in court less than a week later unemployed and without money.

Tyrone Wilson, who lived on Summer Street, and Terrance Boyd, who lived on Millport Avenue, allegedly sought to burglarize the house. Viner was home, however, and the boys beat her with a blunt object, which turned out to be a log, as reported by the Advertiser in its Feb. 5, 1987 edition. Viner was then dragged down a slope and thrown into her pool. An autopsy showed Viner had head trauma, but died from asphyxiation by drowning. 

Viner's husband, Arthur, arrived home that night after going to a work party in New York City. Returning to a ransacked house and an injured dog, he then phoned police before midnight to report that his wife and his car were missing.

Patrolmen Thomas Bendernagel, David Heitz and Andrew Vitti responded to the residence. After a survey of the property, the body of Ann Viner was found face down in three feet of water. 

Viner’s death, according to the Associated Press, was the result of a "third-rate burglary gone bad," Police Chief Ralph Scott said at a Dec. 15 press conference. 

Swift Arrests 

Wilson and Boyd were arrested on Sunday, Dec. 14, 1986. An informant told New Canaan police he'd seen the two men sitting in the stolen Volvo in South Norwalk reading articles about Viner's murder. Additionally, an eyewitness reported seeing Wilson walking along Brushy Ridge Road around 6 p.m. on the day of the murder. 

That information allowed police to obtain a warrant on Saturday and both men were arrested early the following morning.

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Wilson was charged with felony murder, larceny in the third degree and larceny of a motor vehicle. His bail was set at $500,000.

Boyd was originally charged with larceny in the sixth degree and theft of a motor vehicle. His bail was set at $25,000.

The Community Reacts

At the time of her death, Viner had lived in New Canaan for 20 years, the Advertiser reported. She was a member of the League of Women Voters and played tennis at the field club. 

"I've learned more about the kindess and the goodness of this community,"  Arthur Viner said at his wife's funeral, as reported by the Advertiser. He said he'd been lucky "because he had 40 years of happy marriage with her." 

Word of the arrests of Wilson and Boyd spread quickly around New Canaan, according to an editorial that appeared in the Advertiser's Dec. 18, 1986 edition. The pastor at St. Mark's Church reported to his congregation the previous Sunday the two men had been arrested in the Viner case. The audience collectively gasped. 

The writer of the editorial describes the mood of the town following the tragedy:

“There was, most of all, grief and horror for the victim and her family. There was a sense of relief, too, after the fear that inevitabily pervades a community in the aftermath of a crime. But there was also shock and dismay for the suspects and their families. And there was much administration and respect for the police.”

A classmate of Boyd's, who wished to remain unnamed, told the Advertiser that he was "a caring person who could never hurt anyone." Another former classmate said he never had any problems with either of them and that their parents were "hard-working, good people."

Besides her husband, Ann Viner was survived by her son, her daughter-in-law, and her two sisters.

The Investigation, the Case and the Trial

When Wilson was in custody, he wrote a nine-page confession detailing the events that transpired on Dec. 10, 1986. This caused police to upgrade Boyd's charges to felony murder and his bail to $500,000.

Wilson told police the two men gained entry to the Viner house through an unlocked back door. After a brief struggle with Viner, the men beat her and threw her in the pool. They then spent about 30 minutes in the residence, stealing jewelry, stereo equipment and some cash. The two men then went to Norwalk to sell the stolen wares, according to Wilson, and bought cocaine and marijuana. They eventually drove the stolen car back to New Canaan and abandoned it.

Despite Wilson's confession, both men pleaded "not guilty" in court in January.

Boyd's charges were eventually upgraded to felony murder, first-degree burglary and first-degree larceny, while Wilson's charges were upgraded to felony murder, first-degree larceny and third-degree burglary, according to the Nov. 25, 1987 edition of The Hour.

Wilson eventually struck a deal with state's attorneys to testify against Boyd, whom he described as his friend of 15 years, in exchange for a recommended 20-year sentence, according to the Dec. 2, 1987 edition of The Hour. Had he not made the deal, he would have been facing up to 80 years. Wilson testified that Boyd was the one who killed Viner, despite Wilson's suggestion that they tie her up instead. 

On Jan. 21, 1988, Boyd was sentenced to 45 years in prison. In March 1990, Boyd's murder conviction was overturned, according to the Jan. 31, 1991 edition of The Hour. The only phyiscal evidence against Boyd was Wilson's testimony, which the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled was "hearsay," according to the April 22, 1992 edition of The Hour. Boyd did not appeal his burglary conviction. 

The state then charged Boyd with felony murder once more, stating the burglary conviction gave probable cause to indict him again. Boyd tried to appeal the charge on grounds of double jeopardy, but that motion was denied. He appealed to the Connecticut Supreme Court, but that court ruled it did not constitute double jeopardy.

Boyd then filed a petition for habeas corpus, which was denied. It was also denied upon appeal.

Boyd was released from prison on Jan. 3, 1997 from the 15-year sentence he received from his burglary conviction. At this time, the felony murder charge was still pending. He pleaded guilty to that charge on Sept. 15, 1998 and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. 


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