After waiving extradition from Pennsylvania on Thursday, Blazej Kot returned to Ithaca on Friday where he was arraigned on several charges, including the murder of his wife, Caroline Coffey, on June 2.
Tompkins County District Attorney Gwen Wilkinson formally accused Kot with second-degree murder, third-degree arson and tampering with physical evidence in Tompkins County Court with Judge John C. Rowley presiding.
Originally from New Zealand, Kot, who was a Cornell graduate student in information sciences, is no longer a registered student, according to CUPD Chief Kathy Zoner. If found guilty of the charges, Kot could serve anywhere from “25 [years] to life” in jail, Wilkinson said at a press conference on Friday.