A Connecticut woman faces life in prison for the horrific murder of her eight-year-old son, whom she choked to death before setting her house on fire.
A New Haven jury on Tuesday found Karin Ziolkowski guilty of the second-degree murder of her son, Elijah Ziolkowski, and second-degree arson, New Haven District Attorney John P. Doyle, Jr. said.
Ziolkowski smothered her 8-year-old son on Nov. 14, 2016 at her home on the 100 block of Davis Street in Meriden, according to evidence shown at the trial, New Haven prosecutors said in a news release.
She then used liquid from a tiki torch to set her child’s house on fire. She first set fire to her bedroom and then set another fire in the basement, the Hartford Courant reported.
Two days before the heinous murder on November 12, 2016, the killer mother tweeted, “Why did I have a child?” reported the Record-Journal.
A New Haven jury Tuesday found Karin Ziolkowski (pictured) guilty of the murder of her son Elijah Ziolkowski (pictured) and second-degree arson, according to New Haven District Attorney John P. Doyle, Jr
It is unclear why it took many years before Tsiolkovsky (pictured in mugshot) was brought to justice for the November 14, 2016 murder
A picture of the burning house, which the boy’s mother also intentionally set on fire with a tiki torch
Elijah was a huge Star Wars fan (pictured). Tsiolkovsky smothered him in her home before setting the house on fire
When rescuers arrived at the burning house, little Elijah could not be resuscitated and Karin Ziolkowski was taken to Hartford Hospital for severe smoke inhalation in the fire she set on purpose, Law & Crime reported.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled that Elijah’s death was a homicide and the cause of death was asphyxiation and acute poisoning.
At the beginning of the case, authorities thought the child had died from smoke inhalation until learning the fire was started before their son’s death.
The autopsy revealed Elijah had a lethal amount of the antihistamine diphenhydramine in his system, which is found in common over-the-counter drugs like Benadryl, the news outlet reported.
The coroner said the child died before the house was set on fire, the Record-Journal reported.
Meriden Police detectives also found a series of shocking social media posts made by the killer’s mother days before the murder.
On November 10, 2016, Ziolkowski tweeted the terms “fire extinguisher” and “devil’s playground” and “#takethatasyouwill,” according to a warrant obtained by the Record-Journal.
A day later, she reportedly tweeted the phrase “empty promises,” followed by “#takethatasyouwill.”
Then, on November 12, 2016, she tweeted, “Why did I have a kid?”
The aftermath of the fire set by Tsiolkovsky on November 14, 2016
Mother and son in an undated photo. Authorities say Ziolkowski relocated to North Carolina after the fatal fire and was arrested and extradited to Connecticut in October 2017
A photo of Elijah wearing a Star Wars t-shirt. Two days before the heinous murder on November 12, the killer mother tweeted, “Why did I have a child?” reported the Record-Journal
Elijan was a third grade student at the Israel Putnam School, where he was well liked by both the staff and his classmates.
‘Bubbling Child. You know, loves Star Wars, Legos. … You know, a normal 8-year-old boy,” Enza Adamcewicz, the school’s principal, told WVIT.
“He was very social. … Everyone knew him, knew him. Great personality and he will be greatly missed.
Ziolkowski relocated to North Carolina after the fatal fire, authorities said.
She was arrested in October 2017 and being held at the Gaston County Jail awaiting extradition to Connecticut.
Why it took another five years before Ziolkowski was tried for her son’s murder is unclear.
She is scheduled to be sentenced in New Haven Superior Court on January 10, 2023.
Prosecutor Doyle offered his condolences to Elijah’s family and thanked everyone involved in the case.
“Our thoughts are with Elijah’s family at this time and we hope this ruling will ease some of the suffering they have endured following the unimaginable loss of a child,” he said in a statement released Wednesday.
“We also want to give our appreciation to the police, firefighters and paramedics of Meriden, as well as those in the Department of Scientific Services and the Chief Medical Officer’s office who worked on this case.
Although they are trained to investigate child deaths, we know that this work can take a toll both physically and emotionally.’