Parents charged in 2-year-old son's shooting death
The Associated PressState police on Wednesday arrested the parents of a 2-year-old boy who died last month after accidentally shooting himself with a gun he found in the family's home.
Jason Matteau, 27, and Rebecca Matteau, 24, of Jewett City, turned themselves to police in Montville after being told authorities had arrest warrants for them. They were freed on $50,000 bonds and ordered to appear in court Oct. 1.
Their son, Wyatt, died Aug. 28, about two hours after being shot in the head when the gun accidentally fired, state police said. The Matteaus were at their apartment with their son and infant daughter at the time, but Wyatt was alone in a room when the gun went off, troopers said.
Connecticut law makes it a crime to store loaded firearms in an area where the owner reasonably should know that someone under 16 could find them.
Jason and Rebecca Matteau are both charged with risk of injury to a minor. Jason Matteau is also charged with criminally negligent storage of a firearm.
Both charges are felonies. Risk of injury to a minor carries up to 10 years in prison, and the firearm charge carries up to five years in jail.
New London Superior Court Judge Susan Handy signed the arrest warrants this week. State's Attorney Michael Regan declined to comment on the case Wednesday.
The Matteaus could not be reached Wednesday. There was no listing for their home phone number, and it was not immediately clear whether they had hired lawyers.
A few days after the boy died, the Matteaus wrote a letter to the public calling the incident "a parent's worst nightmare" and thanking the community for its support.
"There is no way to even begin to express our feelings," Jason Matteau wrote.