Sophie Sonnenfeld Photo
Gaines’ father, Arnold Payne, at Tuesday’s presser.
Contributed photo
Natosha Gaines.
“I go home at night and I cry,” Arnold Payne said about what life has been like since the shooting death of his daughter, Natosha Gaines.
Payne said Tuesday he’s resting just a little bit more at ease now that police have arrested and charged the man who allegedly killed her.
Payne offered those words of appreciation for the New Haven Police Department and lead detective in the case, Daniel Conklin, at a press conference held at 1 Union Ave. Tuesday afternoon.
“I feel so much better,” Payne said, wearing a shirt bearing a picture of his late daughter.
City police arrested and charged Gaines’ boyfriend, Anthony Valeriano, last week with first-degree manslaughter after he allegedly pulled the trigger that led to Gaines’ death last October. Gaines was 44 years old.
According to arrest warrant affidavit written by Conklin, Valeriano told police that he accidentally shot Gaines while he was cleaning a pistol in their Quinnipiac Avenue apartment.
Click here for more details on the police report, investigation, and Valeriano’s side of the story.
Sgt. Bertram Ettienne: Manslaughter was “the charge that was most suitable.”
At Tuesday’s press conference, Sgt. Bertram Ettienne said that, based on the facts developed from the police department’s investigation, the first-degree manslaughter charge was “the charge that was most suitable.”
Counter to a claim that a neighbor and a relative gave to detectives during their investigation, Ettienne said, Valeriano and Gaines had no history of domestic violence that police could verify.
“We have no information saying that there was a documented history of domestic violence.”
Interim Chief Dominguez: “A little bit of closure.”
“While this will never bring back Natosha,” Interim Police Chief Renee Dominguez said about Valeriano’s arrest, “it just gives a little bit of closure to begin a very long healing process that we know will probably last a lifetime.”
Holding her great-granddaughter in her arms, Gaines’ mother, Cheryl Tyson, stepped up to the mic to thank the police department for their work and to speak about the loss of her daughter.
She said the officers involved were very supportive of the family throughout the investigation. “I’m just grateful that he was caught and is doing time for the crime that he committed. He took something very precious away from all of us.”
Gaines’ mother, Cheryl Tyson, with Gaines’ granddaughter.
“She was full of life, full of joy,” Tyson continued. “She was an amazing grandmother and an amazing mom.” She described Gaines’ hearty and infectious laugh. “That’s what I really miss about her.”
Surrounded by family from both her side and Payne’s side at the press conference, Tyson said tearfully, “She’s not even allowed to see her grandbaby, this grandbaby, grow up.”
Payne praised the officers and detectives involved in the case as a “great team.”
Payne with family at Tuesday’s press conference.
“They’re trying to stop the violence in New Haven and the killings. These officers are working their behinds off. They made a believer out of me and showed me that they can do it,” Payne said. “They did such a great job in such a short time.”
Mayor Justin Elicker thanked Det. Conklin and said he heard from the family that Conklin showed compassion and communicated consistently with them.
Mayor Elicker: “Today is about bringing some sense of justice to your family.”
“Oftentimes justice takes longer than any of us would like,” the mayor said. “Today is about bringing some sense of justice to your family. As a father, I can’t even imagine what you’ve experienced over the past eight months, but I hope you know that the New Haven Police Department are with you, not just up until today, but for many months and years moving forward to support your family.”
Det. Conklin: “A sense of accomplishment and a sense of relief.”
Conklin said it felt good to have worked the case. “It is a sense of accomplishment and a sense of relief to bring them some support and closure.”
Watch the full press conference below:
Thank you to the New Haven Police Department and lead detective Daniel Conklin for arresting and charging the suspect in this caee and being supportive to the family of the victim. I hope that justice will be served and her family will have some peace.