A convicted rapist is charged with murder in the killing of a Connecticut visiting nurse

A convicted rapist was charged Friday with murder and attempted assault in the killing of a visiting nurse at a Connecticut sex offender shelter in October — a crime that fueled calls for better safety measures for home care workers.

Authorities added the charges against Michael Reese, 39, when he appeared in state court in Danielson for a related theft and drug paraphernalia case. Police arrested him on these charges as he left the Willimantic home the day Joyce Grayson was found dead in the basement on October 28. Officers said Reese had some of Grayson’s belongings with him.

Grayson, a 63-year-old mother of six and a nurse for 36 years, had gone to the home to administer medication to Reese. Police responded there when someone reported she had missed later appointments.

Reese was charged with murder, murder and attempted first-degree assault, according to the clerk’s office. Further details about the allegations were not immediately available.

Reese’s public defender did not immediately return phone and email messages seeking comment Friday.

Grayson was a nurse for the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services for 26 years before serving as a visiting nurse for more than a decade, according to her family. She was also a beloved foster parent, taking in nearly three dozen children and was honored with the state’s Foster Parent of the Year award in 2017.

After her death, state and federal lawmakers renewed their efforts to prevent violence against health care workers.

Reese, who was on probation after serving more than 14 years in prison for stabbing and sexually assaulting a woman in 2006 in New Haven, was taken into police custody as he left the halfway house the day Grayson was killed. He was released from prison in late 2020 and was returned to detention twice for violating his probation, state records show.

Authorities said he had some of Grayson’s belongings, including credit cards, and he was charged with violating probation, theft and using drug paraphernalia.

A judge set bail at $2 million on Friday on the new charges. Reese has been held on bond since his arrest. He must appear in court again on June 7.