State decides against prosecuting Anderson in Norwich murder

The state has opted not to prosecute Dickie E. Anderson Jr., a former New London man serving a 60-year prison sentence for the murder of Renee Pellegrino, on charges related to a Norwich murder.

State prosecutor Paul Narducci on Tuesday entered a nolle to charges in the 1998 murder of Michelle Comeau of Norwich. Anderson made a brief appearance Tuesday in a New London courtroom.

Anderson, 42, went to trial for both killings earlier this year. A jury found him guilty of fatally strangling Pellegrino on June 25, 1997. The jury could not reach a unanimous decision in the Comeau case and a mistrial was declared.

The two murder cases were tried together because of their similarities. Both women were prostitutes with substance abuse issues. Both of their bodies were found naked and laid out in similar poses on secluded stretches of roadway. Both women were strangled manually and with a ligature.