NEW BRITAIN--William Devin Howell is supposed to be released from prison in four years. Howell is currently serving time behind bars after being convicted in 2007 on first-degree manslaughter charges in connection to the death of Wethersfield mom, Nilsa Arizmendi.
When Howell, 45, was convicted in 2007, police linked him to Arizmendi with a blood stain in the back of a van he was driving when she vanished in 2003.
Howell was initially charged with her murder, but he accepted a plea agreement to the lesser manslaughter charge. Based on court documents, Howell says he didn’t kill Arizmendi, but acknowledges police had enough evidence to convict him if there was a murder trial.
However, that could change.
After weeks of digging, police found the bones of four people in a wooded area off Route 9, the same place where remains of three women were discovered in 2007. Police identified the victims as Melanie Ruth Camilini, Danny Lee Whistnant and Nilsa Arizmendi.
The fourth set of remains is still being analyzed by the Chief Medical Examiner.
Police say all six people identified went missing in 2003, and even though it is believed they were all killed by the same person, investigators stopped short of saying Howell is responsible.
Police would not say if they plan to continue digging in that wooded and swampy area at 593 Hartford Rd.
