CT man charged with killing his baby daughter pleads not guilty, waives probable cause hearing
A Naugatuck man charged in the murder of his 11-month-old daughter appeared in court in Waterbury on Wednesday and entered a plea of not guilty.
Christopher Francisquini, 32, is facing charges of murder with special circumstances and risk of injury to a child in the death of his daughter Camilla who was found dead in November 2022, according to court records.
Francisquini was brought into Waterbury Superior Court from the Department of Correction about noon Wednesday where he waived his right to a probable cause hearing and entered not guilty pleas on both charges. He is being held in lieu of a $5 million bond, according to court officials.
Francisquini’s baby daughter, Camilla Francisquini, was found dead at a home on Millville Avenue in Naugatuck on Nov. 18, 2022. The Chief Medical Examiner’s Officer ruled her death was a homicide and that she died of compressions to her neck and stab wounds, records show.
Members of the Naugatuck Police Department worked around the clock to locate Francisquini after the baby was found dead.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation had placed digital billboards advocating for his arrest on Interstates 84, 91 and 95 and offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction. He was taken into custody on Dec. 2, 2022, after being spotted at a Waterbury bus stop.
Francisquini has a criminal record dating back to 2010 with cases in Derby, Bridgeport and Milford, according to the court.
He was out on a $375,000 bond for another case when he allegedly killed his daughter, records show.
Francisquini is also charged with second-degree breach of peace and second-degree criminal mischief in connection to a domestic dispute with Camilla’s mother that occurred before the baby was found dead.
The pair allegedly got into an argument in a PetSmart parking lot on Bank Street in Waterbury and Francisquini broke her phone and his own phone, police said. Francisquini had removed a court-ordered GPS device following the fight, investigators said.
Police believe the baby was dead before the fight in the parking lot.
Francisquini also is charged with failing to comply with fingerprint requirements following his arrest, records show.
He is scheduled to appear in court next on Sept. 29 in Waterbury.