Trial to open for Wall Street executive accused in ex-girlfriend‘s Nantucket murder

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Updated June 6, 2007, 11:59 a.m. ET
Trial to open for Wall Street executive accused in ex-girlfriend‘s Nantucket murder

Thomas Toolan was arrested Oct. 25, 2004, hours after Elizabeth Lochtefeld was found stabbed to death inside her condominium.
By Emanuella Grinberg
Court TV
In the years before her stabbing death in 2004, New York entrepreneur Elizabeth Lochtefeld had begun a new phase in her life, according to friends and relatives.
The vivacious 44-year-old had sold her share in the lucrative architectural expediting firm she started nearly a decade before and relocated to the island of Nantucket, where her family had lived for many years and was well-known in the small community.
Known for her enterprising and adventurous spirit, Lochtefeld had started a consulting firm to help college students land internships and was writing a book on the same theme.
The only thing missing was a husband with whom she could start a family and enjoy the next chapter of her life, according to family statements.
But her search for the ideal mate ended tragically on Oct. 25, 2004, when prosecutors allege her spurned lover, Thomas Toolan III, broke into her bungalow and stabbed her to death three days after she ended their relationship.
Jury selection in Nantucket‘s first murder trial since 1984 begins Monday with an anticipated pool of 90 panelists. If the lawyers cannot find a fair and impartial jury on the island, whose year-round population of 10,000 swells to 60,000 in the summer, Superior Court Judge Richard Connon will consider the defense‘s motion for a venue change.
The former Wall Street executive does not deny his involvement in Lochtefeld‘s death. In March, defense lawyer Kevin Reddington filed court papers stating his intent to show that Toolan, who was a vice president at Citigroup, was under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs which impaired his ability to form the intent to commit murder.
But prosecutors with the Cape and Islands District Attorney‘s office claim Toolan, who had to catch a plane to get to Lochtefeld, planned and carried out the attack with "malice aforethought."
In the wake of Lochtefeld‘s death, as details of the couple‘s relationship emerged, Toolan‘s reputation for drinking became tabloid fodder.
The couple met at a Memorial Day 2004 party in Nantucket and began a whirlwind affair, dividing their time between Toolan‘s home in Manhattan and Nantucket, where Lochtefeld had spent summers with her family before her parents moved there permanently.
In statements to the press after Lochtefeld‘s death, friends and relatives described her as being excited initially about her suitor, who was nearly seven years younger and who shared her passion for the arts.
As the relationship progressed at a rapid pace, Toolan‘s "Jekyll and Hyde" personality began to emerge, especially when he was drinking, they say.
Relatives say Lochtefeld was aware of one incident in which he stole a bust from a New York antique show that resulted in his arrest for disorderly conduct. His lawyer later called the incident a drunken prank.
Relatives said Lochtefeld, a fitness junkie who practiced the Japanese martial art aikido, looked past Toolan‘s flaws for nearly seven weeks before finally deciding to end the relationship.
Three days before she was killed, Lochtefeld went to Toolan‘s apartment and broke the news to him. Lochtefeld‘s relatives later reported to police that she said Toolan flew into a rage and held her captive for several hours until he passed out and she escaped.
She immediately returned to Nantucket, where she stayed in her brother‘s home before returning to her own house. Once there, she packed up Toolan‘s items and brought them to a local shipping office.
On Oct. 24, Toolan attempted to board a flight from New York to Nantucket, but was stopped at security for carrying a knife. The next morning, he boarded a flight to Nantucket, where, according to prosecutors, he rented a car and purchased a knife at a store on the island.
Lochtefeld‘s neighbor and landlady is expected to testify that around noon, a man came to her home asking about Lochtefeld. Barbara Kotalac called Lochtefeld‘s brother to report the incident, who then called police.
By the time police arrived at Lochtefeld‘s home, she was dead and Toolan was leaving the island. He was arrested later that afternoon in a rental car in Rhode Island and was returned to Massachusetts without fighting extradition.
Reddington, Toolan‘s lawyer, emphasized to CourtTVnews.com that although he will be using a "diminished capacity" defense, the burden of proof still rests with prosecutors.
"The burden is still on the government to prove each element of its case," Reddington said. "I am going to raise the issue, but it‘s still up to them to convince the jury that he was not suffering from a diminished capacity."
Murder on Nantucket
•June 4, 2007:Trial set to open for exec accused of killing girlfriend•Nov. 22, 2004: Former Wall Street exec arraigned on murder charge