Suvechha Sarkar
The episode, ‘A Little Emotionally Unwound’ by Investigation Discovery’s ‘Signs of a Psychopath,’ focuses deeper on the shocking murder of the established executive and loving mother, Melissa J. Millan, on November 20, 2014, in Simsbury, Connecticut. This appalling crime left the entire community devastated, especially her children. While this case initially led the investigators to scramble for answers for 4 years, slowly turning it into a cold case, the shocking confession from the perpetrator finally brought the answers. The episode features interviews with the family and the officials, who provide more insights into the case.
Melissa Millan Went on Her Routine Jog But Never Returned
On October 13, 1960, Bernelle (Curtis) Millan AKA Bunny and Raymond Tito Millan of Simsbury welcomed the light of their life, Melissa Millan, into the world. While growing up, she was surrounded by the love and support of her parents and caring brothers, Mark and Matthew Millan. However, tragedy first struck the Millans household on November 29, 2012, when their matriarch met her demise. Though there is no information about whether or not Melissa was romantically involved with someone at the time of her death, we do know that she was a mother of two. From what we can tell, Melissa gave birth to her son, Zachary Zeke Hodkin, sometime in 1999. Just a few years later, in the early 2000s, she became a mother again when her daughter, Victoria Tori Hodkin, was born.
Melissa was known for her charismatic and energetic nature and fostered several close relationships in both her personal and professional worlds. From a young age, she demonstrated natural leadership and served as the Secretary of a Senior Class at Simsbury High School, Co-captain of the Cross-team, and even as a dedicated orchestra member. She graduated from high school with flying colors and completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at Middlebury College in 1984. Her passion for leadership was also carried into her career, where she mainly focused on the competitive insurance industry. Melissa began her professional journey at Sun Life Insurance Company, and over the years, she climbed the ranks, ultimately securing the prestigious role of Senior Vice President at Mass Mutual.
Melissa had always shown prowess and drive in athletics with a love for the outdoors, which she also carried in her daily life until the fateful night of November 20, 2014. Per usual, the 54-year-old left her house for a routine jog, but she never made it back home. Sometime around 8 pm, a passerby found the mother of two lying roadway on Iron Horse Boulevard near the Rotary Park playground and called the authorities. When the police arrived, they discovered an unresponsive Melissa lying on the ground in a pool of blood after being brutally stabbed in the chest. After multiple attempts of CPR to revive her, she was rushed to Saint Francis Hospital. However, she soon succumbed to the injuries she sustained in the attack. The cause of death was determined to be from her stab wounds. Her death marked the start of a homicide investigation and a mystery that would take years to solve.
Melissa Millan’s Killer Was Already a Registered Sex Offender
For nearly 4 years, the murder of Melissa Millan remained a mystery with no clear suspects or leads. It slowly turned into a cold case, which ultimately changed in September 2018 when an unexpected confession cracked it open. William Winters Leverett, who was a registered sex offender, walked into a church and confessed to the crime to one of the church members, who then brought him to co-pastor Michael Trazinski and his wife, Colette Trazinski. In one of their interviews, they recalled being heartbroken by his revelation but knew what must be done, so they urged him to take responsibility for his actions by going to the police, and he did.
According to police records, on the night of the murder, William had attended a Sex Offenders Therapy Group in Hartford. From there, he went to the trail, searching for human contact, when his eyes finally fell on Melissa. In his confession, he told the police that he found her attractive and wanted to approach her, but nervousness kicked in, and he felt that “she’s way out of my league.” He further stated that it ultimately made him quite angry and eventually led him into a “frenzy,” and everything went out of control as he stabbed her. He also divulged that he had never seen or met her before the night of the murder. When William was taken to the crime scene to reenact what had happened that night, he recalled that he had stabbed her once in the chest with a knife.
William continued that Melissa then pushed him away, which got the knife out of her chest while it was still in his hand. According to his confession, that’s when she fell back over the guardrail and onto the roadway. He described that he was shaking and crying as he fled from the scene and ended up throwing the knife out of his car window on a side street. William further mentioned that he went back to retrieve the murder weapon a few days later and discarded it in a trash compactor. The police also retrieved evidence, such as the gloves that William was wearing when he committed the crime. Furthermore, it was reported that he had written confessional letters to his family members and one of his friends, which he never really sent out. He led the police to the letters, and the DNA on the gloves matched Melissa’s.
William Winters Leverett is Incarcerated at a Connecticut Prison Today
After his arrest, William was held on a $2 million bond bail during his initial court appearance. His defense attorney had stated that the act he committed was “impulsive” and an instance of spontaneous madness and claimed that there was no clear explanation behind his actions. William had originally pleaded not guilty during this time. During a court hearing in October 2020, he rejected a plea deal that would’ve sent him to 35 years in prison with 10 years of parole. The prosecutor also mentioned his autism diagnosis. Although this did not justify his crime, it was considered before the final judgment was passed. He ultimately pleaded guilty to the murder of Melissa Millan and was sentenced to 35 years in prison with 7 years of special parole in May 2022.
Although this was the end of the trial, according to Melissa’s brother Matthew, this did not bring closure to his family since his one and only sister was now gone. Although William apologized, saying, “I would like to say to all of you how truly sorry I am for the pain I have caused your family over the last several years. I can never forgive myself, but hopefully, this sentence brings you some amount of justice enclosure,” it did not negate the fact that Melissa’s children lost their mother, and their entire childhood was torn away from them. As of today, William Winters Leverett is serving his sentence behind bars at the MacDougall building of MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution at 1153 East Street South Suffield in Connecticut and is scheduled to be released in September 2053.
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