Inset: Lida Shape (Obituary). Background: Ylli Shtopaku appears in court for a murder charge in Bridgeport, Conn. (News 12 Connecticut/YouTube).
A tragic incident unfolded in Connecticut as a 70-year-old woman, who had just celebrated her milestone birthday with family, was brutally attacked by her former son-in-law, according to authorities.
The suspect, identified as 46-year-old Ylli Shtopaku, now faces murder charges in connection with the death of Lida Shape.
The horrific attack took place on April 28, just one day after Shape’s birthday. Upon returning to her residence at the Ten Trumbull apartment complex in Trumbull, Connecticut, accompanied by an acquaintance, she was confronted by Shtopaku.
Police report that around midday, after a brief encounter, Shtopaku launched a violent assault, using a baseball bat to strike Shape for 92 harrowing seconds.
Shape resided in the upscale apartment complex with her daughter—Shtopaku’s former wife—and their two children. This information was detailed by the regional news outlet, News 12 Connecticut.
Shape lived in the luxury complex with Shtopaku”s ex-wife — the victim’s daughter — and the former couple’s two children, according to regional news channel News 12 Connecticut.
“It was determined that the suspect and the victim were previously relatives but were no longer related due to a divorce in the family several years in the past,” a police report reads.
Shtopaku was detained after a neighbor pointed him out to police, the report said. When arrested, the defendant allegedly said, “eh, she tried to kill me for all my life, so I did it today.”
Police said they arrived to find Shape “lying on her back, viciously beaten and gasping for air.”
Shtopaku told police he happened to see Shape at the food court of a local mall and followed her back to her home, according to law enforcement. The defendant allegedly admitted he tried to confront Shape, but when she did not listen, he grabbed a bat from his car and attacked her.
The report says “he blames his ex-mother-in-law for his divorce, losing his house in Monroe and the fact that he currently does not have money.”
According to local news outlets including the newspaper Greenwich Time, prosecutors offered Shtopaku a plea deal on Friday. However, its details of that offer were not made public.
Shtopaku is being held in jail on a $3 million bond. He is expected back in court on Feb. 19, 2026.
