Crime – Page 30 – Bronx Justice News

Bronx Backlog Nightmare: Seven Years After Their Arrests, Two Jailed Men Are Still Awaiting Trial

February 24, 2019 Kevin Deutsch 0

Two men accused in a 2012 murder have spent nearly seven years on Rikers Island and other pre-trial detention facilities–their incarceration a striking example of the case backlog plaguing the Bronx judicial system. Craig Whitefield, 44, and Alonzo Johnson, 41, are accused of killing Jose Andujar and robbing Angel Mangual at the Edenwald Houses, the Bronx’s largest public housing project, in April 2012.

Castle Hill Man Shot in Eye While Looking Through Door Peephole

February 23, 2019 Sasha Gonzales 0

A 56-year-old man was shot in the eye as he looked through his front-door peephole Saturday morning—the second time a gunman has used the method in recent months, authorities said. Police are still looking for the shooter, who fled after firing into the victim’s left eye.

Exclusive: NYPD Plans to Use Controversial “Rapid DNA” Technology as Early as 2019

February 22, 2019 Kevin Deutsch 0

The NYPD plans to begin using Rapid DNA—a controversial technology that provides near-instantaneous test results on human genetic samples without the need for laboratories—as early as this year, Bronx Justice News has learned. The department is working closely with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to implement the plan, NYPD officials recently told a state subcommittee.

Exclusive: Authorities Cleared Nearly 70 Percent of Bronx Murders in 2018, Data Shows

February 21, 2019 Kevin Deutsch 0

Authorities cleared at least 68 percent of murder cases recorded in the Bronx in 2018—better than the national average and a bright spot in a year that saw borough-wide homicides increase 26 percent, Bronx Justice News has learned.

Bronx Nonprofit Director Sentenced For Stealing Money Meant For Kids

February 21, 2019 Sasha Gonzales 0

The longtime director of a Bronx youth group was sentenced to a year in jail for stealing thousands of dollars in federal funds meant to help middle-school kids, prosecutors said. Earnestine Russell, 69, who had served as executive director of the Baychester Youth Council since the 1980s, pleaded guilty to grand larceny in Bronx Supreme Court.

Exclusive: Detectives Linked to 3 False Confessions Drew Scrutiny in Other Bronx Cases

February 18, 2019 Kevin Deutsch 0

The retired Bronx detectives who coerced a false confession from Huwe Burton—the man recently exonerated in the murder of his own mother— have seen their tactics repeatedly challenged in connection with other homicide investigations over the years, Bronx Justice News has learned.

Where Gangs Hold Sway, Prosecutors Make New Push Against “No Snitching” Credo

February 17, 2019 Kevin Deutsch 0

When a reluctant witness entered a Bronx courtroom this month and identified the man he says murdered his best friend, he defied a taboo against so-called “snitching” that hampers scores of criminal investigations in this borough each year—but which prosecutors are countering with renewed efforts to protect at-risk witnesses in gang cases.

Amid Wave of Counterfeit Opioids, Thousands of Fentanyl Pills Seized From Bronx Phone Shop

February 16, 2019 Sasha Gonzales 0

Authorities seized 14,000 highly-potent fentanyl pills from a Bronx cell phone store doubling as a drug stash house earlier this month, potentially saving scores of opioid users from overdosing, officials said.