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Husband Pleads Not Guilty in Shooting Death of Wife

The husband of a former Wilton teacher, Svetlana Bell, who was shot to death in December pleaded not guilty to first-degree manslaughter on Monday.

 

The husband accused of shooting his wife to death in December has pleaded not guilty to first-degree manslaughter with a firearm and disorderly conduct, according to the Danbury News Times.

Robert Bell, 63, entered his not guilty plea in court on Monday. Bell is accused of shooting his wife, Svetlana, who was a music teacher at Cider Mill School since 2006. 

Bell told police during a 911 call that his wife, who was 47 at the time of her death, came at him with a knife during an argument on Dec. 8. He claimed he shot her in self defense.

When police arrived at the couple's New Fairfield residence, they found a .38-caliber pistol in a holster on a chair and a magazine in Bell's pocket.

At his arraignment in December, Superior Court Judge John Blawie prohibited Bell from having any contact with his daughter. 

Bell remains in custody on $75,000 bond. He is due in Danbury Superior Court Feb. 8.

ADDITIONAL COVERAGE

  • VIDEO: Robert Bell Arraigned in Fatal New Fairfield Shooting
  • Beyond the Headlines: Wilton Parents Struggle with News of a Teacher's Death
  • Principal: Counseling Available to Students Following Teacher's Death
  • Reports: Wilton Music Teacher Fatally Shot by Husband in New Fairfield
  • Details Emerge in Svetlana Bell Shooting
  • Richards: Schools 'Deeply Saddened' By Loss

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Soccer May 20, 2013 at 06:27 pm
g, Let's throw out some more numbers... Here is a site to look at:Read More http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/dgm/report1/basiccon.pdf This is the Connecticut State Department of Education Bureau of Grants Management spreadsheet. It shows and compares what Danbury is paying per student compared to the rest of the state. Looking at the numbers, out of the 170+ districts in the state, Danbury pays the 8th LEAST amount per pupil. Out of the 10 districts in Connecticut that have over 10,000 students, Danbury ranks 2nd LOWEST in the state. This amount is about $3,000 less per pupil than the average of the state and the average of districts with 10,000+ students.
g May 20, 2013 at 01:33 pm
Good afternoon Jessica, Danbury plans to spend approximately $114,000,000 on teaching staff salaryRead More and benefits for the next school year per the school budget here - http://www.danbury.k12.ct.us/bbadmin/Budget/2012-2013%20budget.pdf the total budget is $121,000,000. Teachers, administrators, contracted professionals, staff enrichment programs, staff insurance, and the rest comprise about 95% of the school system budget. See staff cost summary on page 8 of the report. You'll also note our board of education plans to spend a bit more than 3 million dollars on supplies and materials plus a million on equipment. The budget represents a 5% increase from the prior year. On our district home page - http://www.danbury.k12.ct.us/ it says Danbury has 10,300 my calculator tells me that's about $12,000 per child in the district. With $12,000 per child, why are teachers paying for supplies? Hmm ... let me think ... 95% of the budget goes to staff salary and benefits for the long 185 day year .... I have a guess where the money goes. Do you?
Black People are ANIMALS May 16, 2013 at 12:18 pm
You should invite all the spics to the lake to go swimming. The Squantzter is usually hungry thisRead More time of year.