Willimantic Man Charged in 2024 West Hartford Family Dollar Robbery

Willimantic Man Charged in 2024 West Hartford Armed Robbery After DNA Match

David Chaparro, 47, of Willimantic was charged on March 17, 2026, with first-degree robbery in connection with a December 2024 armed robbery at a West Hartford Family Dollar store. Chaparro was already incarcerated on unrelated charges when DNA evidence linked him to the crime more than a year after it occurred.

The December 2024 Robbery

At approximately 6 p.m. on December 14, 2024, a man entered the Family Dollar store at 939 New Britain Avenue in West Hartford, pulled a handgun from his sweatshirt, and demanded cash from employees. He left on foot with an undisclosed amount of money. No one was injured.

West Hartford police responded to the store and collected evidence, including DNA samples from the scene.

The DNA Match

Investigators submitted the DNA evidence to the State of Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory. The analysis generated a CODIS — Combined DNA Index System — hit that identified Chaparro as the likely suspect.

CODIS is a national database maintained by the FBI that allows law enforcement agencies to compare DNA profiles from crime scenes against profiles collected from convicted offenders and arrestees. Connecticut participates in the system and submits profiles to the database through the state forensic laboratory.

Arrest and Charges

At the time of his identification and charging, Chaparro was already in custody of the Connecticut Department of Corrections on unrelated charges, which include illegal use of a facsimile firearm. He was formally charged with first-degree robbery on March 17, 2026.

Chaparro is held on $100,000 bond in connection with the West Hartford robbery case. He is due back in court on April 29 to face the armed robbery charges.

First-degree robbery in Connecticut is a Class B felony and applies when a person commits robbery while armed with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, or while threatening the use of one.

West Hartford

The Family Dollar store at 939 New Britain Avenue remains open. No changes to the store's operations or security measures have been announced in connection with the robbery or the subsequent arrest.

The West Hartford Police Department credited the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory and the CODIS database match for enabling the arrest more than 15 months after the crime occurred.

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