The New Canaan man charged last month in the fatal shooting of his wife at their Down River Road home last week hired a new lawyer to represent him in the felony criminal case.
Albert Kokoth. New Canaan Police Department booking photo
Stamford criminal defense attorney Mark Sherman confirmed that he has been retained by 77-year-old Albert Kokoth, who faces charges of second-degree assault, second-degree assault with a firearm and illegal discharge of a firearm in connection with the May 6 shooting.
While he declined to comment on case specifics, Sherman told NewCanaanite.com that he expects to receive discovery, including the Medical Examiner’s reports and notes, from the state’s attorney’s office in the coming weeks.
Albert Kokoth has not yet pleaded to the charges. He originally had been scheduled to appear Tuesday in state Superior Court, but that appearance was continued. His next court appearance now is scheduled for June 29.
According to New Canaan Police, at about 12:02 p.m. on May 6 (a Thursday), Albert Kokoth made a 911 call describing an accidental shooting at his home at 19 Down River Road.
According to the Connecticut State Medical Examiner, Margaret Kokoth’s death has been ruled a homicide due to shotgun wounds to both the head and torso.
Police have said they expect to bring additional charges in the case.
Albert Kokoth is being held at Bridgeport Correctional Center on $2 million bond.
The New Canaan Police Investigative Section is leading the investigation jointly with the Stamford State’s Attorney’s Office, with assistance from the Connecticut State Police Western District Major Crime Squad, who processed the crime scene, officials say. The Connecticut Medical Examiner’s Office also is assisting with the investigation, police said.
Running east off of Main Street and perched above Fivemile RIver, Down River Road is a short dead-end street of nine modest single- and multi-family homes built in the 1950s and ‘60s.
The Kokoths purchased their home in 1994, tax records show.