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Murder Charges, Teacher Arrested Top The Week's News In Darien

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. — In some of the top stories in the past week across Fairfield County, two men face murder charges in separate cases in Bridgeport, a Fairfield teacher was arrested on charges of exposing himself to a student, and police saved a man from a heroin overdose in Norwalk. 

Jeff Iwanicki

Jeff Iwanicki

Photo Credit: Fairfield Police Department
Emilia Murdock of Darien takes her bows before receiving her silver medal in the Intermediate Ladies competition of the U.S. Figure Skating Association on Sunday in Kansas City, Mo.

Emilia Murdock of Darien takes her bows before receiving her silver medal in the Intermediate Ladies competition of the U.S. Figure Skating Association on Sunday in Kansas City, Mo.

Photo Credit: Ice Network screenshot
Bridgeport City Council member José Casco and Make the Road youth organizer Alison Martinez rally the crowd in support of naming Bridgeport a sanctuary city.

Bridgeport City Council member José Casco and Make the Road youth organizer Alison Martinez rally the crowd in support of naming Bridgeport a sanctuary city.

Photo Credit: Meredith Guinness
Protesters from Save Our Shelton line up outside Shelton City Hall to urge a "no" vote on the proposed development, Towne Center at Shelton Ridge.

Protesters from Save Our Shelton line up outside Shelton City Hall to urge a "no" vote on the proposed development, Towne Center at Shelton Ridge.

Photo Credit: Meredith Guinness
A man holding a Trump sign yells at Danbury High students as they leave school on Friday.

A man holding a Trump sign yells at Danbury High students as they leave school on Friday.

Photo Credit: Twitter screenshot

Two people are facing murder charges in connection with separate shootings that claimed the lives of a pair of Bridgeport residents. Richard Lopez, 25, has been charged with murder, felony murder and first-degree robbery in the death of Noel Esbri, 33, who was shot to death inside an apartment at 360 Palisades Ave., on Dec. 15. In the second arrest, a 16-year-old was charged with murder and weapons offenses in the death of Elianna Cruz, 26, who was shot in the head Jan. 7 in a car and died Jan. 11. 

A teacher at Fairfield Warde High School was arrested after police said he exposed himself to a 15-year-old female student. Jeff Iwanicki, 44, of Milford, turned himself in at the Fairfield Police Department.

After an especially hectic day commuting to her fast-paced job in fashion design, Andrea Greene of Bridgeport would relax on the train by daydreaming about making fresh-baked sugar cookies in her grandma’s Indiana kitchen. One day in 2010, she decided to make the dream a reality and started baking for family, friends, co-workers — anyone with a rumble in their tummy. She started the Connecticut Cookie Company, and opened her first storefront on Black Rock Turnpike.

Police were investigating after a man waving a Trump sign shouted obscenities at students coming out of Danbury High. A video posted on Twitter showed the man yelling, "You'll be out of the country you [expletive] illegals." Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton said it was "outrageous."

Norwalk police saved a man from overdosing by pulling folds of heroin out of a his mouth after he was tackled following a short foot chase. But the man, Samuel Branch, 18, was arrested on 13 drug-related charges and assaulting a police officer, police said.

For the second time in her skating career, Emilia Murdock, a 14-year-old from Darien, found herself on the podium at the national championships in figure skating. Last week, Emilia skated two clean programs to capture silver in the Intermediate Ladies category at nationals for the U.S. Figure Skating Association. 

About 40 demonstrators rallied outside Bridgeport City Hall, calling on city leaders to designate Bridgeport as a sanctuary city where immigrants and refugees can find safe haven.

Officers arrested a 26-year-old woman on drug charges after finding her asleep at the wheel on Post Road East with a pound of meth in her car, Westport police said. 

A group of Shelton residents who oppose a massive proposed development project lined up outside City Hall, then moved inside for the Planning and Zoning Commission's meeting on the proposal. The P&Z then delayed its vote on proposed Towne Center at Shelter Ridge, which some say would cause too much traffic, destroy a scenic road and hurt the town’s quality of life. 

A suspect in a Danbury bank robbery turned himself in to police early Friday, less than 12 hours after the incident at Union Savings Bank on North Street, police said. The suspect was identified as Michael Zemsky, 36, of Brewster N.Y., police said.  

A Norwalk man was arrested in connection with a bar fight in Darien that left one person with severe facial injuries, police said. 

man suspected of stealing an M4 rifle and other gear from a car in Milford two weeks ago was arrested in Stratford, according to police. Justin Parsell, 26, was charged with first-degree larceny, third-degree burglary, theft of a firearm, criminal possession of a firearm, possession of an assault rifle, possession of a high capacity magazine and possession of a silencer. The weapons reportedly belong to a Bridgeport police officer. 

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