A Norwich man was arraigned Thursday on a charge of murder in the stabbing death of 25-year-old Casey Chadwick, who was found dead in her apartment at 16 Spaulding St. on June 15.

Jean Jacques, 40, who is also known as Jean Yves, of 5 Crossway St., Apt. 2R., was arraigned before Judge Kevin McMahon in Superior Court in Norwich. His case was transferred to Superior Court in New London where major crime cases are heard.

Bail was set at $1.25 million, and the next court date was set for July 13. Public defender Cynthia Love requested that a Haitian interpreter be present at that time. Jacques is a Haitian native and not a U.S. citizen.

According to the murder arrest warrant obtained by Norwich police Thursday morning, a state scientific services laboratory confirmed that DNA found on an item in Chadwick's apartment matched a DNA profile of Jacques.

On Friday, state and local police detectives executed a search-and-seizure warrant at his apartment, but at the time remained silent about why they were there.

The state medical examiner ruled Chadwick's death a homicide caused by "sharp forced injuries to the head and neck with vascular injuries."

Jacques was arrested and held on crack cocaine sales charges later in the day on June 15, hours after Chadwick's bloodied body was discovered by her boyfriend in her apartment.

A police report related to Jacques' drug arrest last Monday revealed he was the target of an undercover sting by Norwich police.

Jacques, known on the street as "Zoe," sold 0.6 grams of crack cocaine to a confidential informant during a controlled purchase on Franklin Street at about 6:45 p.m. on Monday.

According to the murder warrant, Chadwick's boyfriend, Jean Joseph, told police that Chadwick had sent him a text message saying "Zoe," an acquaintance of both Chadwick and Joseph, was at her residence.

Joseph told police he then called Zoe's cellphone, and the man confirmed he was at the apartment.

Joseph told police he and a friend later couldn't find Chadwick, and they went to her apartment, which was in disarray. Joseph found her body in a closet. Joseph told police some drugs — about 1½ ounces of marijuana and a half ounce of crack cocaine — were missing from Chadwick's apartment.

Members of the Norwich police narcotics unit already were investigating Jacques, and Joseph identified Jacques as "Zoe" when shown a photograph.

In the June 15 drug arrest warrant, police said they gave an informant money to buy the drugs and watched as the informant made the transaction with Jacques. They stopped Jacques a short time later and recovered the same money from his right hand.

He also was carrying two counterfeit $100 bills and had $14 in U.S. currency in his left front pocket that contained "a red blood-like substance," according to his court file.

He also had a probational New Jersey driver's license, a card from the Connecticut Department of Social Services, a Social Security card, a debit card and two silver house keys.

Norwich Police Chief Louis J. Fusaro Sr. praised the work of his detectives and officers for a quick arrest in the case.

Not only did detectives develop an initial suspect but went a step further and arrested him within hours of the discovery of the crime, “getting this violent individual off of the streets.”

“I’m very proud of how they handled this case,” Fusaro said.

Norwich police also worked with the state police Eastern District Major Crimes Unit, who processed evidence, and the New London County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Fusaro said that with a crime like murder, police aim to arrest the guilty party in order to provide some closure for family.

“We hope this is the start of that closure,” Fusaro said.

Jacques is on parole for a 1996 shooting on Laurel Hill Avenue that left a man dead and a woman critically injured. He was arraigned last Tuesday in Superior Court in Norwich on the drug charges and remains held.

He was convicted in 1997 of attempted murder and carrying a pistol without a permit. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, suspended after 16 years followed by five years of probation.

He had been on parole until October, according to the bail commissioner, who said his probation would then kick in.

On Thursday, Judge McMahon expressed surprise that Jacques, a native of Haiti, had not been deported because of his earlier conviction.

"You don't see that very often," McMahon said.

According to stories in The Day's archive, Jacques was charged with murder and attempted murder after a double shooting outside an apartment at 495 Laurel Hill Ave. in February 1996. He was accused of fatally shooting Fresnel Eugene, 30, in the back of the head and shooting and pistol-whipping Eugene's girlfriend, Nadia Joseph.

At his trial in March 1997, Joseph, who survived, testified that Jacques had eaten dinner with her and Eugene prior to the shooting and had threatened to "spread voodoo around their apartment house."

The couple went to the store and bought the ingredients for a voodoo antidote and had just finished sprinkling the mixture of vinegar, lemons and strawberries around the front door when Jacques appeared and shot them, according to the archive.

Day Staff Writer Greg Smith also contributed to this report.

i.larraneta@theday.com

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