In the pre-dawn hours of October 26, 2019, a violent encounter on a Preston, Connecticut road cut short the life of 35-year-old Robert Thompson, a White male. Thompson, a union carpenter and avid weightlifter known to his friends as 'Robbie T,' was a passenger in a vehicle when he was fatally shot in what police described as a drive-by shooting. The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. near the intersection of Route 12 and Route 2A.
A 911 call from a motorist who heard gunshots alerted authorities. As state troopers were responding, Ledyard Police were already escorting the car carrying the wounded Thompson to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, where he was ultimately pronounced dead.
The investigation into Thompson's death quickly led to a person of interest. Within days, authorities arrested 25-year-old Francis L. Giannelli of Glastonbury, charging him with murder, criminal use of a weapon, and carrying a pistol without a permit. According to court documents, the shooting followed an altercation earlier that evening at the Mohegan Sun Casino. Giannelli told police that he and a friend had gotten into a fight with Thompson and another man. He claimed that as they were leaving the casino's parking garage, Thompson and his companion made threatening hand gestures that resembled pointing a gun.
Later, by a grim coincidence, the two vehicles stopped near each other at a stoplight. Giannelli stated that he saw the driver of the other car move his hand from the steering wheel to his side. Fearing for his safety, Giannelli fired his gun six times into the other vehicle. One of those bullets struck Robert Thompson in the neck, causing his death. Giannelli, who had no prior criminal record, turned himself in to the police and claimed he acted in self-defense, though he admitted he never actually saw a gun in the other car. He was held on a $1 million bond and placed on a suicide and mental health watch.
A second individual, 42-year-old Michael Soto, was also arrested in connection with the case. He faced charges of risk of injury to a minor and failing to secure a weapon. The motive, as suggested by reports, appeared to stem from the earlier confrontation at the casino, where words were exchanged between the men. Robert Thompson was remembered by his family and friends as a loyal and protective man who loved them dearly.
