CT man accused of killing former mother-in-law with baseball bat blamed her for failed marriage
Ylli Shtopaju, 45, of Norwalk faces one count of murder in the killing of 70-year-old Lida Shape after investigators found that he followed her from the Trumbull Mall to the Ten Trumbull Apartments at 100 Oakview Dr. where she lived with his ex-wife and the former couple's children, according to the report filed by investigators with the Trumbull Police Department.
Police believe Shtopaju approached Shape and a relative who was with her after the two had been dropped off by an Uber driver outside the apartments, the report said. He allegedly got their attention outside the building, but the pair turned their backs and ignored him as they walked toward the entrance, according to the report.
During an interview with detectives, Shtopaju allegedly admitted to retrieving a baseball bat from the trunk of his Mercedes Benz and jogging toward Shape, the report said. He allegedly raised the bat in the air and swung it down on top of Shape's head, according to the report. Police said he then allegedly spent the next 90 seconds striking her with the bat before dropping it and walking nearby where he waited for police to arrive.
Shtopaju allegedly told police Shape 'tried to kill me for all my life, so I did it today,' the report said.
Police responded to the apartment building shortly after 12:30 p.m. on Monday after multiple 911 callers reported that a man was beating a woman with a bat, according to the report. Numerous officers responded and found Shape lying on her back, having been viciously beaten and gasping for air, the report said. A black baseball bat was found on the ground nearby.
As police were tending to Shape, a witness from the fourth-floor balcony yelled out to police 'that's him' while pointing at Shtopaju, who was approaching officers and trying to wave them down, the report said. An officer immediately noticed that he had apparent blood droplets covering his shoes and took him into custody after he allegedly admitted to attacking Shape, police wrote.
Police tending to Shape performed life-saving measures and noted that she was experiencing agonal breathing and a faint pulse that soon faded. She also had portions of the back of her skull caved in, the report said. Officers attached an automated external defibrillator to Shape, but the device gave them a 'no shock advised' message.
Police administered CPR until medics arrived and discussed whether they should abandon their life-saving efforts, police wrote in the report. Shape was pronounced dead at 12:55 p.m.
Investigators secured the scene, took a number of photos and interviewed numerous witnesses, the report said. They also viewed video surveillance footage from the building and spoke to Shtopaju after he agreed to an interview with detectives at the police station.
Shtopaju explained to investigators that he is divorced from his ex-wife and that she lives at the apartment building along with their two children and her mother, the report said. He allegedly told police he blamed Shape for the failed marriage, for the loss of his house in Monroe and 'the fact that he currently does not have any money,' the report said.
Shtopaju said he was at the mall ordering food from the food court for when his children got out of school when he noticed Shape and a relative who lives out of state, according to the report. Shtopaju claimed that he made eye contact with Shape but they did not say anything to one another, the report said.
Shtopaju allegedly admitted to detectives that he followed Shape and her relative as they left the mall and got into a vehicle that picked them up and brought them to the apartment building, the report said. He allegedly said he retrieved the bat when she tried walking away from him after trying to confront her, according to the report.
Shtopaju allegedly told police that as he struck Shape with the bat he told her she 'has killed him his whole life' and that he 'has killed her once,' the report said. Video surveillance showed that Shape was knocked to the ground after the first hit from the bat, the report said. The relative who was with her watched for a few seconds before running to safety.
Shtopaju allegedly could be seen in the footage striking Shape a number of times 'using a combination of overhead, swinging down strikes' along with several sideways 'golf club' style swings, the report said.
Shtopaju was held in custody overnight on $3 million bond and was arraigned on Tuesday in Bridgeport Superior Court. Court records show he did not immediately post his bail, which a judge did not change during his arraignment.
Shtopaju did not enter a plea during the hearing and is being represented by a public defender, records show. He is due back in court on Friday.
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