Connecticut approves $2.25 million settlement in nurse’s killing at halfway house

HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut officials have approved a $2.25 million settlement to resolve a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Joyce Grayson’s husband after the 63-year-old visiting nurse was killed at a Willimantic halfway house in 2023, the state’s lawyers said Thursday. A state judge in Hartford signed off on the agreement, which binds the state to the terms of the settlement while avoiding admission of wrongdoing.

Grayson, a mother of six with 36 years of nursing experience, had gone to the halfway house on Oct. 28, 2023, to administer medication to Michael Reese, who was living there while on probation after serving prison time for stabbing and sexually assaulting another woman in 2006. Police found Grayson dead in the basement of the home later that day. The medical examiner's office said she died from compression of the neck with blunt-force injuries. Reese pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced last month to 50 years in prison. The lawsuit alleged state officials failed to supervise Reese during his probation, failed to ensure public safety, failed to detain him for probation violations, failed to provide adequate mental health and drug treatment programs, and allowed him to be alone with visiting nurses despite his violent past. The suit targeted the Department of Correction and probation oversight managed by the Judicial Branch. [image placeholder]

The settlement covers the wrongful-death claims brought by Grayson’s husband, Ronald Grayson, while settlement talks with other defendants, including Grayson’s employer, Elara Caring, continue, said Kelly Reardon, the attorney for the family. The attorney general’s office, which represented the state, did not respond to a request for comment. In the agreement, the state does not admit to any wrongdoing. Elara Caring has described the allegations as unwarranted and has argued that Connecticut officials bore responsibility for monitoring and managing Reese after determining he was not a danger to the community and releasing him to a halfway house. An Elara spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

The killing helped propel Connecticut lawmakers to approve a new law aimed at improving safety for home health care workers. The measure authorizes grants to employers for emergency alert buttons, buddy-escort systems, tracking devices, and enhanced safety training. The legislation, enacted last year, followed industry and worker-group outcry over rising violence against nurses and other home health staff across the country.

The case has drawn national attention to worker safety in home health care. In a national survey of nearly 1,000 nurses released last year by the National Nurses United, more than 80% of respondents reported experiencing at least one type of workplace violence in 2023, and nearly half said violence had increased from the prior year.