The Murder Book 2008

July 24th -- 1 dead in Brooklyn...

Damien Sharp, a 28-year-old black male, was found early Thursday lying on the street at Midwood Street and Kingston Avenue, Brooklyn, with several gunshot wounds to his body. He was taken to Kings County Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Police report the suspects were seen leaving the scene in a white Ford van. No arrests.

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Police yesterday made an arrest in last week's shooting death of Lamont Mackie, a 25-year-old black male, killed on East 37th Street in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn, according to police reports. Also wounded in the gunplay was Marilyn Simmons, 45.

Arrested and charged with murder is teenager Charles Springer, 17, of 286 East 39th Street, Brooklyn, according to police.

 

 

 

July 23rd -- Widow pleads for help to catch husband's killer....

The murders come and go so fast in NYC that sometimes we barely take a minute to think of those who've been killed and those left behind. This is a day to remember one of the unnamed victims who appear so frequently on this blog.

On June 29th, I published the following item:

"An unidentified 35-year-old black male was found shot to death inside a grey 2005 Jeep Wednesday at the intersection of East 141st Street and Bruckner Blvd. in the Bronx, according to a police report. The victim had a gunshot wound to the neck and was pronounced dead on arrival. No arrests."

Soon after, I got an email from "the unidentified 35-year-old black male's" wife, a woman by the name of Andrea. She told me that Jeep was actually khaki-colored and wrote: "There is a name to the "unidentified" person.  I'm still in shock over his death, we are not from NYC and for something like this to have happened, I am just in total disbelief!!!"

I asked for more information and she told me that her husband's name was Gerald (that's him in a photo provided by Andrea), that he was indeed 35, and that, besides his wife, he leaves behind two teenage children, aged 15 and 17. They lived in upstate New York, near Ithica, and there's more but, in many ways, Andrea said it best. Here's the rest of her email.

"Gerald's main destination was not the Bronx.  What I think happened is the person or persons that killed him drove him to this area to kill him.  He was found in the back seat of the khaki colored jeep with the vehicle idling.  He goes down to the city a couple times a year to purchase records and sometimes sneakers or clothing for the kids.  He was a disc jockey and was truly old school, loved vinyl.  This is the only reason I believe he was down there.  New sneakers were found in the jeep which proves he was shopping down there.  Also, the stores which he visits are in lower Manhattan.
 
"Anyways, this entire thing seems like a dream, I still can't believe this happened.  Not alone, nobody was thus far caught for his murder... Gerald was very much loved.  Our children, 15 and 17, are without their father.  They'll never have the luxury of having him at their graduations, weddings, etc.  These monsters took a beautiful soul and wiped him off the face of this earth without any regard.  I just don't want people like this walking the streets to do this again, because I strongly feel if they did this once, they'll do it again.  Also, I want justice."

Sometimes, it's good to be reminded that these murder victims are not just statistics but real people who lived, loved, and were loved.

Peace.

 

 

July 22nd -- 3 dead, including retired NYPD sergeant in Staten Island...

Jason Aiello, a white male and a retired NYPD sergeant, was shot to death Tuesday morning in Staten Island after Aiello allegedly fired at NYPD officers who were responding to a "man with a gun" call to 911, according to a story in the Daily News.

Aiello reportedly was under investigation in connection with the murder of his boss Louis Antonelli, a jeweler and former friend. Two other men were indicted for murdering Antonelli but, according to what sources told The News, Aiello was being investigated as well.

Officers reportedly knew Aiello and one of them called him by name, ordering him to drop his gun. Instead, he fired, according to the News, and was shot in the head in front of his wife and three young children who earlier had escaped from the house.

At least one investigator told the News that Aiello's murder was "suicide by cop" and that he knew precisely what would happen when he fired upon responding officers.

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Odell Turner, a 31-year-old black male, was found dead, shot once in the chest early Monday at the corner of Nostrand Avenue and Midwood Street in Brooklyn, according to a police report. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No arrests.

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Kenny Smith, a 17-year-old black youth, was shot to death Monday in the Louis Pink Houses in the East New York section of Brooklyn, after he reportedly dared his shooter to pull the trigger, according to a brief in the Daily News.

Smith, according to the News, told the shooter to "do it" after he pulled a gun on the teen. The shooter unloaded on Smith, hitting him multiple times before running off. No arrests.

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Read the full story behind the murder of dancer Catherine Woods, subject of my book "Death of a Dream," co-authored by CBS News correspondent Erin Moriarty. This is the behind the scenes story of Catherine's controversial lifestyle, the two men in her life, and the trial of Paul Cortez. Reviewers called the book: "compelling" and "a chilling good read." Available at bookstores under 'true crime' and online. First chapter available free.

 

 

July 21st -- 2 dead & arrest in Staten Island stabbing...

Henry Showard, a 45-year-old black male, was stabbed to death last Thursday with a screwdriver inside his Staten Island apartment, and yesterday police announced that they'd arrested Ruth "Grandma" Wade, a 64-year-old acquaintance who has a history of violence and drug arrests, according to a story in the Daily News.

Wade, who had been living Showard and his wife in their Stapleton partment, allegedly stabbed Showard in the neck after having an argument with him and his wife.

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An unidentified 44-year-old black male was found shot once in the head last Thursday in front of 1533 Sterling Place in Brooklyn, according to police reports. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No arrests. 

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July 20th -- 2 dead, boy killed by hit & run driver in Brooklyn...

Rondell Grant Jr., an 11-year-old black youth, was killed early Saturday by a hit and run driver in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn, according to stories in the Daily News, the NY Post and NY Times.

Rondell was at the home at 505 East 43rd Street for a summer grill-out with family and friends. Rondell was near a van used by his mother when three cars sped by. After the second one zoomed by, Rondell stepped out to take a look and was struck by the third car. It kept going but the alleged driver of the third car -- 19-year-old Naquan Mandry -- was later arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death, according to the Times story. The car was parked in Mandry's driveway, and had suffered obvious damage to its front bumper and windshield.

An aunt told The Times: “We were all outside having a good time. I heard a skid like tires, then I heard a bang. It sounded like two cars colliding. Then I heard crying, so much crying. His brother stood over him and kept yelling, ‘Rondell, get up!’”

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Interesting story in the Daily News about the mothers of Patrick Hernandez and Karon Lenihan, one of whose sons was murdered by the other. Lenihan is charged with killed Hernandez with a shotgun blast in broad daylight in Far Rockaway. Hernandez was flanked by his brother and both had just finished cleaning a local beach. Hernandez had graduated high school weeks earlier and was headed for an upstate college this fall.

As the News story notes, there is anguish on both side with both mothers describing their sons in nearly identical terms. Lenihan's mother said her son was working two jobs and was not a street kid despite an earlier arrest for drug possession. Odd and sad.

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Spencer Parris, a 39-year-old male who was shot to death by an NYPD police officer in an upper East Side building last week, had a history of mental illness and may have been committing "suicide by cop," according to what sources told The Daily News.

Parris would not drop his knife despite pleas by officers who confronted him in a narrow hallway of the building where he lived on East 83th Street in Manhattan Thursday night.

After coming toward the officers, Police Officer Micah Adler, a 10-year-veteran, shot Parris once. Parris reportedly had spent the hours before the encounter drinking at a local bar, Ship of Fools. His girlfriend reportedly told officers that Parris was taking medication for a bi-polar disorder.

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July 17, 18 & 19th -- 3 dead, including teenager in Brooklyn & investigation goes on in murder of Marine Park couple...

Police continue to investigate the murders of Christina Petrowski-Schwartz and her husband Mark Schwartz, both found shot to death earlier this week in their home in the Marine Park section of Brooklyn. At the top of the list of people being investigated, according to stories in the Daily News and NY Post, are a former buisness partner, and Christina's son from a previous marriage.

The News reported that detectives have visited with Robert Delvicario, a former U.S. Customs official and former business partner of the dead couple, but he has retained a lawyer and refused to talk to police, according to the News story. There reportedly was bad blood between the couple and Delvicario because the Schwartz's believed Delvicario was embezzling money from a joint real estate project. The Post reported that Delvicario and his wife are nearly $1 million in debt and it was Mark Schwartz task to try to recover some of that money.

The stories also reported that police are looking closely at Christina's son from a previous marriage, Nick Petrowski. He was once arrested on a minor drug charge but neighbors mentioned to cops that several weeks ago the dead couple posted an odd sign in the window of their home which read: "Don't Come Home."

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Bertrand Jocelyn, a 17-year-old black youth, was shot once in the head Friday evening as he sat on a bench outside the Sumner Houses in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, according to a story in the Daily News.

Jocelyn is yet another in a stream of teens who've been shot to death since May in or around public housing projects. He had recently received his GED and hoped to attend college, according to his father Louis, a Haitian immigrant.

Louis told The News: "Please don't use the word 'dead.' My heart is broken. There is no answer to this. He was just hanging with a friend. We don't know why this happened."

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Wily Singletary, a 43-year-old black male, was found shot to death Thursday evening at Sterling Place and Rochester Avenue in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, according to briefs in the Daily News and NY Post. He had been shot once in the head and died at the scene. No arrests.

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Lamont Mackie, a 25-year-old black male, was shot and killed early Thursday morning on East 37th Street in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn, according to police reports. Also wounded in the gunplay was Marilyn Simmons, 45. Police have no motive as to why someone fired at the couple. No arrests.

July 16th -- 4 dead, including couple shot to death in their Marine Park home...

Mark Schwartz, a 50-year-old white male, and his wife Christine Petrowski-Schwartz, a 48-year-old white female, were found shot to death in their bedroom in Marine Park, Brooklyn early Wednesday, according to a story in the Daily News. (photo Daily News)

The bodies of the well-liked couple -- both of whom were lawyers -- were found by their cleaning lady on the second floor of their home on East 33rd Street in Brooklyn after the woman had already cleaned the ground floor. She reportedly ran out of the house and called 911. According to the News story, the cleaning woman yelled: "They're dead - they're both dead."

A neighbor told the News: "Why would anyone want to do this to them? They're such good people, very loving people."

The investigation is at an early stage and there was no motive for why the couple was shot.

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An unidentified 19-year-old Russian immigrant was beaten to death with a cue stick early in a Brooklyn pool hall Tuesday morning after he reportedly got into an argument with a group of men, according to a story in the Daily News.  

The murder occurred at Boardwalk Billiards in the Brighton Beach section of the borough. The victim was taken to Lutheran Medical Center in critical condition, and died shortly after. No arrests.

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Mustafa Oumaria, a 23-year-old Nigerian immigrant, was shot to death Tuesday night outside his home on Albany Avenue in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, according to a brief in the Daily News.

Oumaria was shot four times by a lone gunman who has not been captured.  The News reported that Oumaria worked in a clothing store, and was single and quiet.

July 15th -- Cops outline history of man shot dead...

Unique Davis, the 22-year-old black male shot dead by police this weekend after he'd allegedly fired his own gun at pursuing officers, has a history of gun and drug arrests, according to a story in the Daily News.

Davis was gunned down by an NYPD sergeant after firing at cops with .38-caliber revolver recovered at the scene, the police reported. Davis had at least three prior gun and drug arrests, was scheduled to appear in court in September concerning his most recent drug arrest.

Police released this photo of Davis' alleged weapon.

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July 14th -- 1 dead, young woman in the Bronx...

Saoni Casado, a 21-year-old Latina female, was stabbed to death early Sunday morning. According to police reports, Casado brought or was taken to Bronx Lebanon Hospital with stab wounds to her chest; she later died there from her injuries. 

Police later arrested Diana German, 20, and charged her with Casado's murder. Police reported that Casado and German had some type of dispute that led to the stabbing. German was arrested at home at 1665 Morris Avenue in the Bronx.

Saoni's friends put together this tibute to her on youtube.

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Read the full story behind the murder of dancer Catherine Woods, subject of my book "Death of a Dream," co-authored by CBS News correspondent Erin Moriarty. This is the behind the scenes story of Catherine's controversial lifestyle, the two men in her life, and the trial of Paul Cortez. Reviewers called the book: "compelling" and "a chilling good read." Available at bookstores under 'true crime' and online.

First chapter available free.

July 13th -- 5 dead, including 1 in an out of control dice game...

An unidentified 15-year-old black youth was shot to death Sunday morning at 2 a.m. in back of a building at 866 Boyland Street in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, according to police and media reports. Police say the teenage boy was shot in the chest and pronounced dead at the scene. It is yet another in a stream of teenagers shot to death in NYC this year.

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Lavar Ried-Paul, a 23-year-old black male, was shot to death Saturday morning as he sat on a bench at the Saratoga Houses in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, according to a brief in the NY Post. 

Ried-Paul was targeted by a gunman who walked up to the victim and shot him in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No arrests.

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Donnie Debonish, a 43-year-old black male, was shot once in the head and twice in the chest Saturday after tempers flared at a dice game at 1757 Story Avenue in the Monroe Houses (I grew up at 1790 Story Avenue in the Monroe projects) in the Soundview section section of the Bronx, according to a brief in the NY Post.

 Debonish was declared dead at Jacobi Hospital. The other victim, 37, shot once in the arm, remained hospitalized yesterday. No arrests.

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An unidentified black male was shot to death Saturday afternoon inside a home in Jamaica, Queens after he shot his ex-girlfriend several times leaving her in critical condition at Mary Immaculate Hospital, according to briefs in the Daily News and NY Post. That male was then shot to death by a second male who was inside the apartment at the time.

The shootings occured inside 107-55 156th Street. Police were looking for the second shooter but have made no arrests.

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Unique Davis, a 22-year-old black male armed with a .38 caliber handgun was shot to death by police Saturday night after cops say Davis fired at the police, according to briefs in the Daily News and NY Post.

Davis allegedly fired at least four rounds at police, they said, before at least one of them fired back and hit him in the head. His weapon was recovered at the scene on Hancock St. in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, according to police.

A witness told the News he heard a lot of shots but it remains unclear how many bullets were fired by the police.

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