The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-11-14

|NoE III any W0j CNARN0ASs
 Text of the finding follows:
 on November 1, 1944 he was awakened by his wife at 10:O0 p. m 60 that he might report for work at the regular time. Donning his police uniform he left his home and walked to Poplar and Green streets where he intended to board bus for the police station where he was required to answer a roll call prior to going on duty. On Poplar street near it's intersection with Green street he observed a car parked at the curb. In the car sat one Steph- arie s. Plungis with whom Zukaus- kas had been intimate for the past ten months. That same evening, at about 10:O0 D. m., Mrs. Plungis, like wise married and the mother oI two children, procured her nus hands car, a 1940 Nash sedan, bear ing Connecticut registration KO-70o, for which she had duplicate set of keys, from a parking lot on North Elm street where her husband hao marked it earlier. Informing her cirl friend with whom she had been boarding for the past four weeks that she was going to see luKaus- kas before he caught his bus, III order to request the repayment oi . loan of S1OO which she claimed Znkauskas owed her, she drove to tne intersection of Poplar and Green streets, parked and waited for Au- kauskus, knowing that he came here nightly to catch bus TOT worK' Zukauskas, recognizing the car and its occupant who called to him, ornroached and stood beside the car According to the testimony ot Zukauskas, a talk and argument ensued at this point, ZukauSKas aiming @ blow at Mrs. Plungis but Tnissing her. Zukauskas claimed that Mrs. Plungis offered to drive hlm 10 Work and that he then entered the front seat of the car, Mrs. PIungls driving. The car proceeded up Pop lar street and over Alder street ana when it reached the front Of ms nome. Zukauskas asked Mrs. Plum ais to stop the car and wait for nm while he went into his house. It was now about 10:40 p. m.
 zukauskas entered his home and went into a room where he procured two 32-caliber revolvers from a drawer in a bureau and filled the chambers of both guns with bull lets. one holding six and the other five bullets. Inserting both guns into his belt where he already had 3o- caliber police service gun he but toned his coat, left his apartment and returned to the car. Alleging that Mrs. Plungis, immediately on his return, began to vilify him ana spak at. him he pulled out one or the S2-caliber guns and started tir- ing at Mrs. Plungis. He was unable to recall how many shots he fired hut stated that he continued pull ing the trigger until the gun would not fire and that thereafter he struck her with the gun. Mrs. Plum ais. screaming, ran from the car into the roadway. She had recelveo \ wound in the neck, the bullet nenetrating the neck and emerging from the cheek, causing protuse bleeding.
 Mrs. Zukauskas, hearing what she stated she thought was the back fire of an automobile, came from her home into the street and brought Mrs. Plungis to the kitchen of her apartment where she at tempted to stem the flow of blood bv bathing the wound with a towel wetted with hot water. Zukauskas, first turning the car around and parking it, then came into the Kitchen. After bathing the wound for five to ten minutes Mrs. Zukaus- was suggested that Mrs. Plungis be driven to hospital. zukauskas invited his wife to accompany him and Mrs. Plungis. All three left the house and went into the Plum gis car, Zukauskas behind the driv- CTS wheel, Mrs. Plungis next to him on the front seat with the towel wrapped around her neck and Mrs. Zukauskas in the rear seat. Zukaus- kas then drove to and northerly on Highland avenue in the direction or Waterbury hospital when Mrs. Plungis asked to be taken to her mothers home on Arnold street be- fore being brought to the hospital. Zukauskas turned the car around and followed a route apparently to- ward the mothers home. It was now becoming quite foggy. When he reached a point in front of the shack on the city dump on Bradley avenue in Waterbury, he slowed tine car, suddenly pulled the unused 32- caliber revolver from his belt and fred a number of bullets into the body and head of Mrs. Plungis. who slumped over in the front seat alongside him. No argument or blows preceded this shooting, &C., cording to Mrs. Zukauskas, who claimed to have been unaware of and startled by her husbands ac- ton.
 Zukauskas, without stopping, and with his wife in the car felt for pulse and heart beats but was unable to discover any. He drove over sev- eral streets which led in the direc- ton of Middlebury and then pro- ceeded to Middlebury where at an undetermined location he pulled the deceased from the car into the brush, removed all her clothing and