A former Norwalk official will go on trial in May in the deadly shooting of her tenant nearly three years ago.

Ellen Wink, who’s charged with the murder of Kurt Lametta, had her appearance at Stamford Superior Court waived Tuesday as both sides met to work out scheduling. They determined jury selection will begin May 6 with the trial set to start May 19.

The decision marked the first movement in the case since June 2023 when Wink rejected a plea offer from the prosecution and opted for a trial. The deal called for her to spend 40 years in prison in exchange for pleading guilty. Now, she’ll take her chances with a jury.

“It's a mixed emotion thing. Everybody wants to have their day in court, so to speak, but in these types of cases, it's never something anyone looks forward to,” said Wink’s attorney Stephan Seeger after court Tuesday.

The shooting happened on Jan. 20, 2022, inside a home on Nelson Avenue owned by Wink where Lametta was living. The two had a history of problems after Lametta allegedly stopped paying rent in September 2020 and Wink wanted him out. A police report said after the shooting, Wink called 911 and said she fired at Lametta five times because he "came at her."

“It's a self-defense case, and I think the case is misunderstood,” Seeger stated.

During prior hearings, Seeger argued Wink was afraid of Lametta and said he'd gotten ahold of an audio recording of Lametta that bolsters Wink’s claims. Seeger said it included Lametta making threats against Wink and using homophobic and antisemitic language.

But the prosecution countered Wink wasn't in danger or provoked on the day of the shooting and said graphic video from the victim's phone backs that up. Lametta was apparently recording their dispute and ended up capturing his own death. Search warrants about the footage said the confrontation began after Wink let herself into the home to clean out the fridge because she was putting the house up for sale.

"Lametta asked Wink how she thinks she has the right to come into his house without any notice," according to one search warrant. It went on to state, "Just as Wink turns around and appears to walk away from Lametta, two gunshots are heard, and Wink is heard saying, 'You Bastard' as she proceeds to walk toward Lametta through the kitchen while firing a handgun at Lametta."

The warrant also said Wink threw Lametta’s phone into the bushes outside the house after the shooting, and police recovered it after they heard ringing from there.

Seeger said Tuesday he expects a psychiatrist to be among the defense’s key witnesses at trial, and he reiterated the video doesn’t tell the whole story.

“You know, there's a video, but really it's the functional equivalent of an audio tape because you can't see everything,” Seeger reiterated to News 12. “And I think the medical testimony, the expert testimony will sort of enlighten us to what went on there.”

Wink has been out of custody but on house arrest with GPS monitoring since September 2022 when she was released after posting 10% of her $2 ½ million bond in cash. She initially was living in the home where the shooting occurred but sold the property in 2023.

Wink was the Republican deputy registrar for the City of Norwalk at the time of the shooting but was fired after being charged with murder.