Connecticut settles wrongful‑death suit for visiting nurse
Connecticut officials agreed to a $2.25 million settlement in a wrongful‑death lawsuit over the 2023 killing of visiting nurse Joyce Grayson at a Willimantic halfway house; a state judge approved the deal on Sept. 23, 2025. The suit, filed by Grayson’s husband, accuses the Department of Correction and the Judicial Branch’s probation oversight of failing to supervise convict Michael Reese, who later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 50 years; talks with the nurse’s employer, Elara Caring, continue.
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Connecticut settles lawsuit over convict's killing of visiting nurse for $2 million
New information:
- State agreed to a $2.25 million settlement approved by a Hartford judge on Sept. 23, 2025
- Victim Joyce Grayson, 63, was found dead Oct. 28, 2023 in the basement of a Willimantic halfway house; cause of death was compression of the neck and blunt-force injuries
- Per the lawsuit, Michael Reese — living at the halfway house while on probation for a 2006 stabbing/sexual assault — pleaded guilty to murder and received a 50-year sentence last month; other defendants, including employer Elara Caring, remain in settlement talks
- Grayson’s death prompted Connecticut legislation to fund safety measures (panic buttons, buddy systems, tracking) for home-health workers