State sets scene at Chyung murder trial with first responders, 911 recording, crime scene photos

March 19--Jurors heard a despondent Chihan Eric Chyung tell a dispatcher on June 2, 2009, that he accidentally shot his wife as Chyung's murder trial got underway today in New London Superior Court.

The 911 recording sets up the dispute at question in the trial -- whether or not Chyung intentionally or unintentionally killed Paige Anne Bennett on June 2, 2009. The couple had married three weeks earlier.

The jury -- and Bennett's family -- also saw for the first time photographs of Bennett lying on her kitchen floor with a pool of blood near her long, blonde hair.

Chyung, 50, of Norwich, is on trial for murder and first-degree manslaughter. He admits he shot his Bennett but says his Glock .9-mm pistol, which has no external safety feature, discharged accidentally when he went to pack it into a suitcase.

"I shot my wife. I killed her," he told a Norwich Police dispatcher that night. "The gun went off. The gun went off."

The dispatcher kept Chyung on the phone as officers rushed to his home at 257 Norwich Ave. in Taftville. Chyung, crying, told her he was in his Ford F350 pickup truck and that the gun was in the back door of the truck. She asked him several times if his wife was breathing, and he responded, "No, she's dead. Oh my God!"

"We were having an argument," he said. "I was packing my gun. We just got married. I loved her."

He begged the dispatcher "get me out of here," saying he didn't want to see his wife's body. A short time later, officers arriving at the scene could be heard in the background ordering Chyung to get on the ground.

Prosecutors David J. Smith and Marissa Goldberg introduced the 911 recording and crime scene photos through first responders to the scene, including Norwich patrolman Thomas Lazzaro, paramedic Douglas Hull and patrolman Damien Martin.

Lazzaro said that after Chyung was taken into custody outside the home without resistance, he and other officers forced entry into the back door and found Bennett's body in the kitchen. The house was in disarray, with objects strewn about, he testified.

Hull testified that when he went into the home and saw Bennett lying on the kitchen floor, it was obvious that efforts to rescuscitate her would be futile. He said he didn't touch the body. He called a physician at the William W. Backus Hospital, who pronounced her dead at the scene. A medical examiner would later rule that she died of a gunshot wound to the head.

Martin testified that Chyung told Sgt. Corey Poore that he and Bennett had argued about the expense of a fishing pole he had bought and that he decided to leave the house for the night when the dispute escalated. He said he took his gun because he wanted to keep it in his control.

"He stated as he packed his suitcase on the kitchen table, his handgun accidentally discharged and struck his wife," Martin testified.

The prosecution showed the jury photos of the small kitchen table, which was covered with items, including liquor bottles and papers.

As Martin transported Chyung to the police department, Chyung explained the shooting several times and talked about a variety of topics, wavering between crying and wimpering to being "cool, calm and collected," Martin testified.

Chyung told Martin he had an associate's degree, worked as a master carpenter and liked to fish and ski.

"He said his friends felt he and his wife had a fairy tale love affair," Martin testified.

Martin stood up to show the jury how Chyung demonstrated the incident, using his left hand to open the suitcase and pointing the gun down, toward the bag, with his right hand.

Under cross examination by defense attorney Kathleen Rallo, Martin testified that he heard Chyung explain the incident several times and that his story remained consistent.

Several members of Bennett's family, including her mother and children, are attending the trial. Chyung's mother was also in the courtroom and his girlfriend, who may be called as a witness, has been sitting in the hallway.

When the trial resumes this afternoon, Smith is expected to focus on what Chyung did after shooting Bennett. He left the home for about 1 1/2 hours, then returned and called police after calling a friend, according to police.

Copyright 2014 - The Day, New London, Conn.