On a grim Friday morning, March 6, 1998, the life of 40-year-old Frederick W. Rubelmann III, a White male from Southington, Connecticut, was tragically cut short in a violent rampage at his workplace. The horrific events unfolded at the Connecticut Lottery Corporation headquarters in Newington, where Rubelmann served as the vice president of operations. He was one of four senior lottery officials killed that day by a disgruntled employee.
The perpetrator was identified as Matthew E.
Beck, a 35-year-old accountant for the state lottery who had been embroiled in a dispute over his job and pay. Dressed casually in jeans and a polo shirt, Beck arrived at the office and, after a period of silence at his desk, began a systematic and deadly assault on his superiors. Armed with a handgun and a knife, he sought out those he held responsible for his grievances.
As the terrifying sound of gunshots echoed through the building, panic ensued among the more than 100 employees. Amid the chaos, Rubelmann acted heroically, running through the hallways and yelling for his colleagues to evacuate and seek safety. It was during this selfless act of trying to guide others to safety that he was confronted by Beck and fatally shot.
The violent spree also claimed the lives of Lottery President Otho Brown, 54; Linda A. Mlynarczyk, 38, the lottery's chief financial officer and a former mayor of New Britain; and Michael Logan, 33, the information systems director. After killing his four victims, Beck chased Brown into an overflow parking lot and shot him. As police closed in on the scene, Beck turned the gun on himself, ending his own life. The incident, which lasted only a matter of minutes, stands as one of the deadliest workplace shootings in the state's history.
