A Connecticut man is accused of breaking into his estranged wife’s home before fatally shooting a man who was staying there overnight, according to police.
Joshua Freitag, 33, is charged with murder, home invasion and risk of injury to a child in connection with the death of 34-year-old Mark Morgan.
The shooting happened early Monday morning at a home in Somers, Connecticut.
According to an arrest warrant obtained by WTNH, Freitag allegedly showed up at the house around 4 a.m. after noticing Morgan’s vehicle parked in the driveway.
Police said Freitag knew Morgan and allegedly did not like that his estranged wife was “friendly” with him.
The woman reportedly told investigators that Freitag had questioned her earlier about whether Morgan was at the house.
She initially denied it, according to the warrant, before Freitag allegedly told her he could see Morgan’s car outside.
After exchanging text messages with Freitag, the woman said she went to sleep on the couch while Morgan slept in an upstairs bedroom.
She later woke up to the sound of breaking glass.
Authorities allege Freitag smashed through a rear sliding glass door and entered the house.
He then allegedly went upstairs to the bedroom where Morgan was sleeping and shot him multiple times.
Connecticut State Police said troopers were called to the South Road residence following reports of a disturbance involving gunfire.
When officers arrived, Freitag was reportedly outside the home and was taken into custody without incident.
The woman told police that Freitag had forced his way into the house before shooting Morgan in a second-floor bedroom.
Emergency crews attempted lifesaving measures, but Morgan was pronounced dead at the scene.
The woman’s two juvenile children were also inside the home at the time of the alleged attack.
Court records show that Freitag had been named in a divorce filing just five days before the shooting.
His wife told investigators that he was no longer living at the house and did not have a key.
She had also changed the passcode on the front door after he moved out, according to WTNH.
Freitag’s attorneys have argued that because he still owns the residence, he could not legally burglarize or break into his own property.
Authorities, however, have charged him with home invasion in addition to murder.
Investigators said Freitag and Morgan had an existing history of disliking each other, and the wife told police that Freitag became angry over Morgan being at the house.
Freitag is being held on $1.5 million bond.
He is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 18.
The charges against Freitag are allegations, and he has not been convicted.
What exactly did he accomplish with his awful act? He basically not just killed that man but also ruined his own life and at this point will never see the outside of a prison or most likely his own kids either. Such an idiot!