From Bill Kaempffer, Bridgeport Police spokesman:
A city woman was charged with murder today in connection with the May 18 incident in which a man was fatally crushed between a car and a cinderblock wall.
Cherelle Baldwin, 21, of 93-95 Ash St., was charged with murder after a three-week investigation concluded that she intentionally accelerated her red Pontiac and pinned Jeffrey Brown, a man with whom she had a child, in what is viewed as a domestic homicide.
“Detective Heitor Teixeira interviewed a large number of people to get a clear understanding of what happened, and work by the Crime Scene Unit and accident investigators was key to getting to the truth. It was thorough and labor intensive police work,” said Police Chief Joseph Gaudett Jr. “I also want to thank Trumbull police for their assistance.”
A Trumbull police accident reconstructionist assisted in the case. Bridgeport Detectives Edwin Perez and Todd Hoben also provided key assistance in the case.
Police and firefighters responded to the location at 8:42 a.m. on May 18 and found Brown between the car and wall. Medics attempted unsuccessfully to revive him. Baldwin was found just outside the Pontiac with a leg injury.
Baldwin gave several accounts to several people but they could not be substantiated by physical evidence at the scene.
Accident reconstruction indicated that the vehicle traveled about 100 feet, apparently accelerating the entire time, before striking Brown. There was no sign she attempted to brake. It also indicated that Baldwin’s leg injury most likely was caused upon impact with the wall with her foot on the accelerator.
