Man pleads guilty to manslaughter charge in death of 67-year-old woman beaten in New Britain home

A man has pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge in connection with the death of a woman who police believe was assaulted over the course of multiple days before she was found unresponsive in a New Britain home.

Michael Walton, 67, of New Britain pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of first-degree manslaughter during a hearing Thursday in New Britain Superior Court, according to state Judicial Branch records.

Walton had been charged with one felony count of murder in connection with the death of a 67-year-old woman who was found unresponsive in his home on May 22, 2021, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. The woman was not identified in court papers tied to the case — which is considered domestic violence.

According to the warrant affidavit, police were dispatched to Walton’s home after a neighbor reported hearing Walton saying things like “wake up,” “please stop playing” and “I don’t want to go to jail.” Walton, police wrote in the affidavit, allowed officers into his home, where they found the victim unresponsive in a bed.

According to the affidavit, Walton told officers that the woman had caused herself a number of injuries. She was taken to Hartford Hospital where she was unresponsive and needed to be put on a ventilator.

Medical staff told investigators the woman’s brain showed little function and did not appear to be improving, the affidavit said. Later that month, police learned that the woman had died.

The cause of death was determined by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to be complications of blunt force trauma of the head and torso. The death was ruled a homicide.

According to the affidavit, police believe Walton assaulted the woman over the course of three days and never notified medics or authorities. They also believe he tried to clean up some of the evidence that the woman had been assaulted, the affidavit said.

Police in the affidavit noted there was a history of domestic violence between Walton and the victim.

Walton was arrested two days after the woman was found unresponsive and charged with tampering with physical evidence. He was charged months later with one count of murder, which will not be pursued in light of the plea deal he accepted.

Walton is being held on a $1 million bond while he awaits sentencing. He is due back in court on Jan. 11, 2024.