Janina Brooke Murphy, 26, was found dead inside a Claire Hill Road home in March.
TORRINGTON, CT — A 28-year-old Burlington man was due in court Wednesday after state police charged him with murder in the death of his girlfriend, a Massachusetts woman found dead inside his Claire Hill Road home in March.
Cole Theodore Werhan was arrested Tuesday after the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Janina Brooke Murphy’s death a homicide. Murphy, 26, died from blunt force injury of the head, officials said. The arrest moved a three-month investigation from a suspicious death case into a murder prosecution carrying a $5 million bond.
Connecticut State Police said troopers were called to the Claire Hill Road address in Burlington at about 11:16 p.m. on March 29 after a report that led them to investigate Murphy’s death. Police first described the case as suspicious and did not immediately announce a suspect. Murphy, who also went by Brooke, was from Massachusetts. Local reports identified her as Werhan’s girlfriend and said her body was found inside his home. Her mother, Beth Murphy, said the medical examiner’s finding confirmed what the family had feared. “He killed my child,” she said, adding that investigators told her the death was not an accident.
The medical examiner’s ruling became a key turn in the case. Officials determined Murphy died of blunt force trauma to the head and classified the manner of death as homicide. State police then arrested Werhan and charged him with murder. Authorities have not publicly released a full arrest warrant, a detailed timeline of the hours before Murphy’s death or a stated motive. It also was not immediately clear whether Werhan had entered a plea. Court records cited in local reports show Werhan lived on Claire Hill Road, where police had earlier focused their investigation after Murphy was found.
The murder charge comes as Werhan was already facing scrutiny from other pending cases. Court records cited by local reports describe prior arrests involving women and allegations that included disorderly conduct, breach of peace, unlawful restraint, assault, threatening and strangulation. Those earlier matters remain separate from the murder case unless prosecutors move to connect them in court. The reports said some of the women told police they met Werhan through dating apps. The prior allegations are not convictions, and Werhan is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in each case.
Neighbors on Claire Hill Road previously described heavy police activity after Murphy’s death, including officers returning to the home as the investigation continued. The case drew new attention after the medical examiner’s homicide ruling, which gave police a formal basis to move from a suspicious death investigation to a murder arrest. State police have released only limited details about the evidence, and major questions remain public, including what investigators believe happened inside the home, who last saw Murphy alive and what evidence led prosecutors to support the charge.
Werhan was held on a $5 million bond and was scheduled to appear Wednesday in Torrington Superior Court. The court appearance was expected to begin the formal prosecution, including advisement of the charge and bond review. Prosecutors may later file additional documents, and police could release more information through an arrest warrant or court hearing. The case remains active, and state police have not said whether more arrests are expected. Murphy’s family has called the ruling a confirmation that her death was not the result of a fall or accident.
Burlington, a small town west of Hartford, had been waiting for answers since late March, when police first identified the death as suspicious. For Murphy’s family, the arrest marked the first public step toward a court case but not the end of the investigation. Beth Murphy said detectives told her that her daughter had injuries beyond a fall. “Your daughter didn’t just fall down the stairs,” she said one investigator told her. The brief statement reflected the family’s grief and the sharp shift in the case after the medical examiner’s finding.
As of Wednesday, Werhan remained charged with murder in Murphy’s death and was expected to face the case in Torrington Superior Court. The next major milestone is the release of court records or a follow-up hearing setting the prosecution’s schedule.
Author note: Last updated June 24, 2026.