As police questioned Carson Mueller about a fire at the home he shared with his mother, the Griswold man told them he strangled his 69-year-old mother, police said. Thursday, he faces the charges in court.
Carson Mueller, 34, was charged with arson on Monday.
Officials quickly learned they were dealing with more than a fire Monday when they found a note in the mailbox. It indicated that a murder had been committed and the note's writer was attempting suicide, police said Monday.
An investigation led police to Pachaug State Forest, about seven miles from the Richardson Hill Road home Mueller shared with his mother, Denise Mueller.
There, they found her body. She died from traumatic asphyxia and neck compression, the medical examiner said Tuesday. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Police also received a call from Carson Mueller Monday. Instead of shooting himself, Mueller drove to a Gasman "fuel facility" in Franklin, where he called 911 and said he'd been in a collision, according to court documents.
He told detectives he intended to shoot himself after dousing the house with gasoline and killing his mother, according to a state police affidavit. The house exploded, blowing Mueller through the wall onto the lawn. He suffered burns to his hand and injured his lower back and feet and was treated at W. Backus Hospital before his arrest.
State police charged him with murder just before 10 a.m. Thursday.
Mueller, who is incarcerated, was taken to Norwich Superior court where he was formally charged by State Police and held on bond. He will be arraigned in Superior Court Thursday.
