Otero arraigned in Groton slaying

Johnny Robinson was watching the morning news on Monday when he heard a report that caught his attention: A woman in Groton had been killed and stuffed in a freezer.

And even before the television reporter identified the victim, he instantly thought it must be his friend, Madeline Brisson.

"She had told me that he (Luis F. Otero) had threatened to kill her and put her in the freezer," Robinson said in an interview Tuesday before Otero's arraignment in New London Superior Court.

Groton Town police charged Otero Monday with murder after they found a body in a freezer at 1184 Gold Star Highway. Formal identification won't be made until an autopsy, scheduled for today, but Brisson was renting the house there and Otero was living with her.

Robinson said Brisson didn't really take Otero seriously when he threatened her and didn't report it to police.

In court Tuesday, details of Sunday's homicide were unavailable because the warrant was sealed for 14 days.

During the brief court hearing, Otero, 49, was wearing blue jeans and a black shirt that accentuated his muscular build. He stood silent.

A bail commissioner said Otero was convicted in 1995 for third-degree assault and unlawful restraint. He was sentenced to four years in prison, suspended after one year served, followed by three years probation.

In that case, Otero was found guilty of beating up his girlfriend and binding her with masking tape when she tried to break off their relationship.

Robinson said he had let Brisson live with him - Robinson - as she recovered from a foot injury she sustained a couple of years ago in a motorcycle accident. Her foot was badly damaged, and she was in a wheelchair for about a year, he said.

Brisson had dated Otero a long time ago and let Otero move in with her in Groton so he could help out with the rent, Robinson said, but they would argue over money. Brisson received a settlement from the motorcycle accident and lent money to Otero, he said.

"She told me that he wouldn't pay her back," Robinson said.

Robinson said he spoke with Groton Town police Monday and was at the court hearing to show his support for his friend.

Also in the courtroom was Brisson's ex-husband, Michael Brisson. The couple divorced in 2005.

Michael Brisson, who lives in New London, said he was awakened by Groton Town police around 4 a.m. They told him Madeline Brisson was dead.

He said he met his former wife at a laundromat she used to own in Stonington. Madeline's family lives out of state and she did not have children, he said.

Friends of Otero were also in court but did not comment.

Prosecutor Michael Kennedy requested that the bond remain at $2 million because the state has a "strong case" against Otero.

Public Defender Shawn Tiernan requested it be set at $100,000 because Otero has ties in the community.

Tiernan noted that Otero has retained private counsel and has been told not to speak to anyone. Information on who is representing Otero was not available because an appearance form was not in his file.

Judge Kevin P. McMahon kept the bond at $2 million.

"Without prejudicing the case, it doesn't get much stronger than this," McMahon said.

Otero's case was transferred to Part A court in New London, where the most serious cases are heard, for March 24.