Family copes after arrest is made in deadly incident

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- The grieving family of Joseph Mirvil finally has some comfort now that an arrest was made for the New Haven man's murder. The family spoke out about how they're coping with their loss.

The deadly incident happened on September 18th in a stairwell at the Church Street South housing project, and on Tuesday police made an arrest in the case. John Claudio, 20, of New Haven, has been charged with murder.

The family is pleased with the arrest, but nothing will erase the memory of Mirvil's six year old son, who was there when his father was shot several times.

"He knows. He knows what happened." said Najee Muhammad, Mirvil's brother-in-law.

It is unknown if Mirvil was able to speak to his son before passing. At this point, the family wants to make sure the youngster feels safe.

"I spent time with him and let him know everything is going to be alright," Muhammad said.

Detectives told News 8 they interviewed the six year old, with the help of a psychologist, about what he may have seen. However, the critical information came from people in the neighborhood coming forward.

"This department needs to acknowledge members of the community who spoke to us, who confided in us, trusted us, and trusted our detectives," Chief Dean Esserman, of the New Haven Police Dept. said.

The victim's family is thankful for those who gave information that led to his arrest.

"I am really appreciative of whoever gave the information and helped the cops apprehend him," the victim's sister, Marie Mirvil said.

The two men apparently knew each other, but the cops are not revealing any more information.

Muhammad said on behalf of the family, "I just ask everyone to stop the violence." A familiar message for the city.