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Murder Charge After Girlfriend's 'Suspicious' Fall
25 Jun
Summary
- Man arrested for girlfriend's death ruled homicide by medical examiner.
- He faced prior domestic violence charges involving strangulation threats.
- Victim found at bottom of stairs; family feared foul play.
Cole Theodore Werhan, 28, has been arrested and charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Janina Brooke Murphy, 26. Murphy was discovered deceased at the bottom of a staircase in their Burlington, Connecticut, home in March. The Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has since ruled her death a homicide, citing blunt force trauma to the head.
Murphy's mother expressed that the ruling confirmed her family's fears that her daughter's death was not an accident. Werhan was already facing separate domestic violence charges in Torrington Superior Court, including strangulation, threats, and disorderly conduct stemming from an incident with another woman.
Court documents reveal the other woman alleged Werhan physically assaulted her, strangled her, and threatened to kill her between May and August 2025. He also had another pending domestic violence case from November 2025. Werhan is currently held on a $5 million bond and was deemed an extreme danger to the community.
