NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP) - A Connecticut man has been arrested on a felony murder charge in the 2006 killing of a father of five whose naked body was found in a field.
Timothy Johnson, 32, of Norwich, did not enter a plea during an arraignment Friday in New London Superior Court. A judge kept bail at $1 million and will resume the case on Oct. 18.
The body of 40-year-old Anthony Hamlin, of Groton, a member of the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation, was found in Ledyard on Jan. 28, 2006. Hamlin , the son of former Eastern Pequot Tribal Councilor Darlene Hamlin, was last seen in New London on Jan. 27. The chief medical examiner’s office said he died of blunt force trauma to his head.
State police did not disclose a motive for the killing.
Investigators said they recently developed information that led to Johnson’s arrest on Thursday. They did not release the new information. One or more other people are expected to be arrested, police said.
Johnson’s lawyer declined to comment after the hearing.
Hamlin’s relatives said they were relieved an arrest was made.
“We just want a little closure,” Hamlin’s daughter, Bethany Hamlin, told The Day newspaper. “We all want to know why. We want to know what happened.”
Johnson said little in court, only answering some questions from the judge including whether he understood his rights.
State police said detectives followed up on new leads and interviewed people over the past decade. Federal, state and local investigators returned to the field in 2014, but did not say what prompted the new search.
A $50,000 reward was offered for information leading to arrests and convictions in the case.
The Eastern Pequots, of North Stonington, won federal recognition in 2002, which made them eligible for federal aid for housing, health care and education as well as allowed them to pursue a casino. But the federal government withdrew the recognition three years later after Connecticut and the towns of Ledyard, North Stonington and Preston objected.
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This story has been corrected to show Timothy Johnson is from Norwich, not New London.
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