This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Crime & Safety

Amendola Case Continued Until September

The Branford resident is accused of the bludgeoning attack on another man in March.

A scheduled pretrial appearance for Neil Amendola of Branford was continued until Sept. 12 at New Haven Superior Court today.

Amendola is for severely beating William Stewart, a family friend and retired Branford police officer, with a baseball bat on March 12 when Stewart arrived at Amendola’s residence to repair a damaged garage door.

Police reported no reason for the bludgeoning attack, and testimony in court indicates that Amendola suffers from some sort of mental illness.

Find out what's happening in Branfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

On June 13, Superior Court Judge Roland Fasano ruled that and assist in his defense.

Amendola has remained incarcerated since the assault and has undergone an extensive, court-ordered psychiatric examination at Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown.

Find out what's happening in Branfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

At the June 13 competency hearing, Connecticut Valley Hospital social worker Susan McKinley testified that Amendola claimed he is being monitored by the CIA, the FBI and the National Security Agency and that he is concerned he might transform into a woman.

However, McKinley said the hospitals doctors did not believe that Amendola was psychotic at the date of the competency hearing, and Assistant State’s Attorney Maxine Wilensky argued that Amendola is merely "acting crazy" to avoid punishment.

Updates will be posted as they become available.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.