CONNECTICUT COMPUTER STOLEN FROM CHURCH WTNH.com, Connecticut News and Weather - Laptop stolen from church


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Stratford (WTNH) _ A computer theft at a Stratford church has one artist making a desperate plea for its return.

It was days before Christmas and Robert Zilli was putting the last touches on his mural at St. James Catholic Church. He went downstairs to get some extra supplies and something strange happened.

"I was mixing materials and I had my headphones on listening to the computer when it cut out," Zilli explained.

Zilli went to check things out and that's when he caught a glimpse of the thief.

"I saw somebody put something in the back seat of a car and very hurriedly get into the front seat of their car so I came back into the church to look and make sure my computer was gone, and it was," Zilli said.

Someone had come into the church and stole his laptop computer worth almost $3,000. But Zilli is more concerned about the years of artwork that was on the computer.

"Quite a few years of my work is now missing; gone and that anger turned into sadness. I've just been really disheartened by the whole experience," Zilli said.

Zilli worked for three years at the St James Catholic Church on various murals in the building. Zilli was commissioned as part of a $1-million renovation that included intricate mosaic work in the vestibule and elaborate murals inside.

"As disheartening as this was it doesn't rob me of the experience of getting this work up on the walls and seeing how happy it makes so many different people in the community," Zilli said.

Zilli was able to spot a few numbers of the thief's license plate, but there have been no arrests.