Posted on 04/05/2011 2:43:30 PM PDT by jazusamo
Complete title: Brooklyn judge takes shot at AG Eric Holder over no death penalty for killer of two NYPD detectives
A Brooklyn judge took a shot at U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Tuesday for "failing" to go to the Supreme Court to appeal a ruling that tossed out the death penalty for a convicted killer of two NYPD detectives.
Federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis bristled with emotion when he ordered federal prosecutors to obtain a letter from Holder pledging the government's intention to seek the death sentence against Ronell Wilson in a retrial of the penalty phase of his 2007 trial.
Garaufis said he was requiring the letter before the case moves forward "in view of the fact that the attorney general failed to exhaust all appeals and abandoned the appeal of the case."
The judge said he was concerned about the effect of an emotionally grueling retrial on the family members of Detectives James Nemorin and Rodney Andrews.
The hero undercovers were shot to death execution-style by Wilson during a gun buy-and-bust operation in Staten Island.
Wilson's conviction for the brutal double murder still stands, but the U.S. Court of Appeals reversed the death penalty verdict because of prosecutorial error.
A spokesman for Brookyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch has said repeatedly in the past that the prosecutor's office remains committed to re-trying the penalty phase.
Wilson, 28, appeared in Brooklyn Federal Court for the first time since his sentencing more than two years ago under heavy security.
Wilson did not look toward the spectator gallery, where Det. Andrews's widow and father watched along with about two dozen detectives.
"He's changed, he got older," noted Rodney Andrews Sr., adding that he hopes the new jury selected to determine Wilson's fate chooses death.
"He did what he did and there's consequences," said Andrews, Sr.. "He deserves the ultimate punishment whether it's for my son or somebody else's."
"If anyone warrants the penalty of death, it's Ronell Wilson," added Detectives Endowment Association president Michael Palladino.
I’ve completely forgotten about the details of this case, but I do have a dumb question here. Why was this case tried in a Federal court in the first place?
Like you I remember the case but don’t know why a federal court. Must have been a fed investigation going on or fed laws broken.
My guess is that the cops were white and the murderer is black (one of ‘his people’, as Holder puts it).
The two murdered detectives were also black, see post #18.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Eric Holder is a HUGE liability to Obama and his re-election campaign.
I know I shouldn’t, but that makes me smile...
BUMP!
It must be tearing Eric apart. I suppose he doesn’t want to acknowledge black on black crime and that over 90% of the violent crime blacks experience is from other blacks.
I see he has been stealing electrical cable too.
Exactly. Holder won't ackowledge that nor the black on white crime. He and his boss only enforce laws that they agree with.
I see he has been stealing electrical cable too.
LOL! It sure looks that way.
Just lookin’ out for his people!
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