Family, friends, neighbors and community members gathered together Wednesday evening for a candlelight vigil to honor the memory of former East Haven resident Michael Lieto.
Lieto died Tuesday afternoon from injuries he sustained during a fight alongside his two brothers — Dion, 25, and Robert, 26, — and two other men that occurred on Maplevale Road earlier that day.
Dion and Robert were also injured during the altercation, which reportedly occurred due to a dispute over a stolen necklace, but the injuries were not life-threatening.
As he addressed supporters at the vigil Wednesday evening, Robert said Michael was trying to help out Dion and himself during Tuesday's altercation when he was fatally stabbed.
"My brother was a hero," he said, as he held a candle up to the evening sky in Mike's honor.
Aaron Powell, 21, and a 17-year-old juvenile male were arrested Tuesday shortly after the incident.
Powell — who has confessed to stabbing Lieto, according to a New Haven Register report — has been charged with first-degree manslaughter, first-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, carrying a dangerous weapon, and second-degree breach of peace.
Powell was arraigned in New Haven court on Wednesday. He being held on a $1 million bond.
