Former Milford Judge Richard Damiani Dies

A superior court judge who served over two decades on the criminal court bench in many Connecticut cities died Monday.

The Connecticut Post confirmed the death of Judge Richard Damiani, who was recently serving as a judge at Waterbury Superior Court. The newspaper mentions how Damiani was held in high regard by attorneys in Connecticut and as a “fair and compassionate” member of the state judiciary. Damiani also served in courts in Milford, Meriden, New Haven and Bridgeport.  

Most recently, Damiani presided over a few major cases within the Waterbury area. He sentenced 19-year-old Angelina Jamele of Naugatuck to 27 years in prison for the murder of her grandmother. , Jamele’s mother vouched for her daughter and other friends lamented the fact that Jamele was being sentenced on a murder charge rather than a manslaughter charge.

But Damiani, who had the final word, had a different opinion.

“Your family here, they think there’s an injustice being done,” Damiani . “(But) think of the injustice against your grandmother.”

, Southbury resident David Eisenbach, to 37 years in prison for killing a friend, Robert Weaving. Damiani reportedly said at the time that because Eisenbach was a sociopath who showed no mercy for Weaving or his family, the court would show no mercy for him.