On a spring afternoon in North Stonington, Connecticut, the life of 31-year-old Ralph Sebastian Sidberry, a Black / African American male, was tragically cut short. On April 12, 2017, police responded to a call at his Lantern Hill Road home to find him suffering from a gunshot wound. Despite medical efforts, Sidberry was pronounced dead later that evening.
A member of the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation, he was a husband and a father to a young daughter with another child on the way.
The investigation into the homicide quickly focused on a person of interest, and within a few months, an arrest was made. In September 2017, Connecticut State Police charged James Armstrong, 30, of New London, with the murder of his cousin, Ralph Sidberry. Authorities located and apprehended Armstrong in Missouri, where he was at the Army National Guard Fort Leonard Wood. He was extradited back to Connecticut to face the murder charge and held on a $2 million bond.
The motive behind the killing was reportedly a false belief held by Armstrong that Sidberry was spreading HIV to other members of their tribe; tests later confirmed Sidberry did not have the virus. The legal proceedings against James Armstrong took an unusual turn. He has been repeatedly found not competent to stand trial, meaning he is unable to understand the court proceedings and assist in his own defense. Consequently, instead of a criminal trial, Armstrong has been civilly committed to Whiting Forensic Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Middletown. His case has been marked by complexities, including a clerical error that mistakenly indicated his civil commitment had ended, causing distress to Sidberry's family. As of early 2023, Armstrong remained a patient at the hospital, his criminal prosecution for the murder of his cousin stalled due to his mental health status.
