Guilford Suspect In Stabbing Case In Custody Following New Arrest

STAMFORD, CT — The suspect in a stabbing in Westport in January cut off the GPS monitoring device he was ordered to wear and fled his house arrest in Guilford on Monday before he was apprehended near his home, according to authorities.

Ellis Tibere, 19, was found just after 1 p.m. lying in a fetal position in the snow on public trails near his Bluff View Drive home when he was found by his father, according to Guilford police.

Tibere had a steak knife with him when he was found, according to police.

He was free on bond on bail of $1 million in connection with the January stabbing, in which he faces attempted murder charges.

On Monday, Tibere had used a pair of scissors in the garage of his home to cut off the GPS monitor and a second monitoring device that was electronically set up to ring a telephone if it was removed.

As soon as Tibere cut off the devices, probation officials were notified and contacted the police. Additionally, Tibere's mother also contacted authorities when she discovered that he had removed the devices, according to police.

"Ellis was reported to be armed with a knife and was reportedly taking on a persona of an individual named 'Jackson' while speaking with his father," Guilford police wrote in the arrest report.

As both police and Tibere's father, Eric Tibere, spoke to him in the woods, he was unresponsive before he was handcuffed and led away to a waiting ambulance.

Tibere was charged with first-degree violation of the terms of his release, and first-degree criminal mischief. He was arraigned in New Haven Superior Court on Tuesday and held in lieu of bail of $250,000.

On Wednesday, Tibere appeared in Stamford Superior Court in connection with the original case, and he appeared lethargic and dazed when led into the courtroom. His mother, Denise Paley, sat alone in a back row in the courtroom and began to sob when she saw him; he never made eye contact with her.

Judge Gary White doubled Tibere's $1 million bail to $2 million, due to the seriousness of the new charges against him, and ordered that Tibere undergo a mental competency exam, his second.

Following his initial arrest in January, Tibere also spent several weeks under evaluation at the Whiting Forensic Hospital in Middletown. Authorities said Tibere harbored thoughts of killing for some time.

John Gulash, Tibere's attorney, told the court that his client's family would not be able to post bond on the new bail, therefore he will remain in custody.

Tibere is accused of stabbing a woman in the parking lot of a Westport salon in early January. Police said he did not know the victim, a Greenwich woman, who lost a significant amount of blood and suffered a serious leg injury in the attack.

Attorney Eugene Riccio, who represents the victim, was in court Wednesday and afterward said his client is still recovering from the attack.

"We appreciate the court's action in raising the bond in an effort to protect my client and the public," Riccio said, adding that Tibere's "mental health needs to be looked at seriously."

The victim, who was notified by authorities soon after they learned Tibere had cut off the monitoring devices, was in "extreme terror" when she learned he had left house arrest, Riccio said.

"The notification system worked very well, the response was very quick," Riccio said.

After court, Gulash said he "respectfully disagreed" with White's decision to increase the bail, because Tibere's family already could not afford to post an additional bond on the $250,000 bail imposed following Monday's arrest.

"This is obviously a very difficult time for everyone involved," Gulash said.

Tibere is scheduled to next appear in court on Feb. 10.