NAUGATUCK, Conn. — WARNING: The video above and the article below contain graphic details. Viewer discretion is advised.
A 36-page arrest warrant for Christopher Francisquini, 31, is giving new details about the gruesome murder of his 11-month-old daughter Camilla at their Naugatuck home on Nov. 18.
Francisquini was arrested at a bus stop in Waterbury on Friday after two weeks on the run. He appeared in Waterbury Superior Court on Monday and didn't speak.
The judge called the case "a truly horrific crime of unfathomable nature" and set a $5 million bond.
The Crime Scene
Police responded to a 911 call to a home on Millville Avenue for a murder investigation. Officers found a "small child deceased with numerous stab and knife related wounds as well as part(s) of the child's body had been separated from the main torso area," the arrest warrant reads.
The baby was pronounced dead at 11:46 a.m. The room in which she was found appeared to have been set up as a bedroom with adult and children's clothing as well as a crib and bed.
Thirty items were collected from the room including Nike sneakers with blood droplets on them as if the "blood ran onto the sneaker from the victim." The shoes were later identified by others living in the house as those of Christopher. A t-shirt, section of carpeting, and grey child's sock, all with blood-like substances on them, were also collected.
Five members of the household were interviewed including Christopher's dad, stepmother, sister, and brother. The child's mother, later self-identified as Kristyl, was also interviewed.
The Day of the Murder
On the morning of the murder, Kristyl came home from work. The mom, dad, and baby lived in the basement of the home. In the arrest warrant, the mother told police as soon as she got home Christopher wanted them to go shopping. She wanted to change clothing, but Christopher told her, "Don't touch the room, I'm going to clean when I get home." She said he was standing at the basement door and he would not let her in the room.
The two then headed to Waterbury. On the way, Kristyl told police Christopher was texting someone regarding "CMHA," a treatment facility she knew of for mental health. She was unaware of who he was messaging. They pulled into the PetSmart in Waterbury where another car pulled up next to them. Christopher took her phone. The two got into a dispute and he broke both their phones. She then went into PetSmart to call family to pick her up and the man in the other car followed her in. When she got a ride, Christopher and the car they came in were gone.
She returned to the Naugatuck home and discovered the murder scene. The family called 911.
During the drive to Waterbury, Kristyl noted Christopher was sweating, but when asked why, he said it was because he had the heater on. She told police she didn't notice any blood on him. Police also found Christopher's credit card and court-ordered GPS bracelet on the scene in Waterbury.
The two drove to Waterbury in Christopher's dad's Chevy Impala. The car was recovered on Interstate 91 in New Haven later in the day after a driver noticed the operator walking around the car. Investigators collected 13 pieces of evidence from the Impala, including the knife believed to have been used to kill Camilla. Four areas near the driver's side reacted to chemicals used to detect traces of blood.
Another driver stopped to ask Christopher if his car broke down to which Christopher responded he ran out of gas. The driver gave Christopher a ride to a nearby gas station. The driver told police, according to the arrest warrant, Christopher asked to use his phone and used his Facebook account to try and contact relatives. Both of those people he tried to reach told police when interviewed they have not talked to Christopher in a long time. Christopher and the driver went to another gas station as the first only sold gas cans, not borrowed. The driver then left Christopher.
Christopher was later spotted on Quinnipiac Avenue in New Haven. This was the last time police released surveillance images captured of the suspect.
Another person in New Haven called police to report they believed they interacted with Christopher. He told her he ran out of gas and had no money and wanted to know where the bus or train stations were. She later determined it was Christopher after seeing the news coverage.
Christopher allegedly changed his clothing in Waterbury at an apartment he went to prior to driving to New Haven. Four witnesses spoke to police about this, according to the warrant. Christopher went to the apartment looking for someone who resides there but was not home at the time. He was allowed in. Several witnesses told police they knew Christopher's brother but hadn't seen or talked to Christopher in years. They said he was sweaty and asked if they wanted to buy the car he was driving, his dad's Impala. One witness said Christopher used his phone to make Snapchat and Facebook accounts. The person said he asked for a sweatshirt and was given a white hooded sweatshirt with a black checkered pattern, as seen in the surveillance footage. When the person Christopher was looking for returned, she was notified he came by and had seen on the news police were looking for him. They later provided police with the black sweatshirt he came in.
The arrest warrant states Christopher began his plan to flee after leaving the parking lot in Waterbury and many of his actions justify that including trying to sell the car, changing his attire, reaching out to people he hasn't talked to in a while, and creating fake social media accounts.
Relatives' Statements to Police
Kristyl spoke to detectives for more than two hours. She told police they had been living with Christopher's father since his release from prison for "pistol whipping someone almost to death." Christopher was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 10 years of special parole for first-degree assault and was released in December 2020 before being taken back into custody the following November for a slew of crimes he allegedly committed. He was released in June of this year.
According to the arrest warrant, she told police the two "constantly argue" and that he's "always frustrated" because he couldn't leave the house nor find work. She informed the detectives Christopher was bipolar and did not believe he was taking his medication. Christopher had told her he was "always hearing things" and that the voices told him to kill his father but he wasn't going to do that. These conversations happened a couple of days before the murder, she said.
She also said he was paranoid and "thought someone was always out to get him or looking for him."
Kristyl told police Christopher was good with Camilla, who would have turned one this past Saturday. He wanted a better life for her, the mother said.
His father told the detectives Christopher's behavior hadn't changed over the last couple of months until he recently came home with weed, of which his son hadn't smoked since on house arrest until days prior. He said Christopher had a good relationship with the baby and wasn't aware of any abuse to her.
According to the arrest warrant, a relative told detectives over the phone Christopher did not have good mental health. She said he told her his medication was changing and he was hearing voices, but wouldn't detail what they would say. She told police he had urges to hurt people but he said he would never act on it. His stepmother told detectives during her interview Christopher would reference voices during their phone calls when he was in prison.
Christopher's brother told police Christopher's relationship with the baby was "iffy" and that he would sometimes hold Camilla by the collar of her shirt, but wouldn't say anything because it wasn't his child. He said he had never seen Christopher hurt the baby.
Since the Murder
Naugatuck Police looked for Christopher for two weeks. The FBI increased its award for information leading to his arrest and conviction from $10,000 to $25,000. A person called the police Friday after seeing what they believed to be Christopher at a bus stop near the Waterbury Superior Court. He was taken into custody.
The next day, community members gathered in Naugatuck on what would have been Camilla's first birthday. Her mother spoke to the crowd thanking them for their support since the murder and saying the best birthday gift for her baby is "justice."
Christopher appeared in Waterbury Superior Court Monday. Family members of Camilla were in attendance.
Christopher did not speak and kept his head down. He's being held on a $5 million bond and faces murder with special circumstances and risk of injury to a child. His court date is Dec. 21.
Tony Black is a multi-media journalist at FOX61 News. He can be reached at ablack@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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