Saturday, April 13, 2013

Salvatore Perrone Case Continues to Make News — Perrone wants MTA Station Video to prove his alibi — Like everything else Perrone has said, Judge Alan Marrus shrugged it off with openly expressed disdain

The judge, the prosecutor and the press continue to show extreme bias against this unlikely elderly Italian-American from Bensonhurst and Staten Island, who has been accused of being a serial killer of three Brooklyn shopkeepers, after NYPD detectives had been looking for a completely different kind of suspect


The case against Salvatore Perrone continues on its bizarre path toward an extremely possible travesty of justice. By the time the Brooklyn DA and the New York State Courts are finished with the case against Mr. Perrone, “The People of the State of New York” will not know, or even be able to find out, whether justice was done in their name, regardless of the final result. Even the families of the murdered victims are being used as bit players by the prosecutors and the press — being stoked to express outrage and disgust about a man trying to defend himself, whose guilt or innocence of the charged crimes is far from clear.

Criminal Court Judge Alan Marrus continues to preside over this mess like he is a Ring Master for Ringling Brothers – Barnum and Bailey Circus instead of an Acting Supreme Court Justice. On Friday April 12th, when Salvatore Perrone read his prepared statement to the court about his need for the MTA surveillance video from the Parkside Avenue Subway Station to prove his alibi based on the timing of the alleged third murder, the judge felt free to openly express his bias against the defendant and his purported alibi. The ADA was equally dismissive when she tossed-off the fact that she had 127 video surveillance tapes, when the court told her to try to provide the defendant with what he was looking for. It is also quite telling that Perrone felt forced to give his own prepared statement, with possible negative legal consequences, while the court appointed attorney, whom Perrone wanted  replaced by the court earlier in proceedings, stood by like a statue.

Based upon the report of the Friday court proceedings that appeared in the New York Daily News, it went down like this: “...Salvatore Perrone insisted Friday that subway security footage would exonerate him from the third murder he is accused of committing. ***  ‘I need the video,’ he pleaded during a Brooklyn Supreme Court hearing. ‘The office of the district attorney or Charlie Hynes either directly or indirectly have suppressed my alibi.’ ***  The 64-year-old apparel salesman, charged with the murders of three Brooklyn shopkeepers, argued the tape shows him enter the Parkside Ave. station at about 6:05 p.m. on Nov. 16, 2011 and never coming back out. Rahmatollah Vahidipour, 78, was killed around 7:15 p.m. *** ‘I can't be at two places at once,’ Perrone went on. ‘For sure the MTA does not lose videos. They don't get lost or stolen’.” ( See “Accused ‘Son of Sal’ serial killer claims MTA tapes will exonerate him” by Orin Yaniv, 4/12/13, NY Daily News [http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/accused-son-sal-serial-killer-claims-mta-tapes-exonerate-article-1.1314993#ixzz2QMnlzdKz]; [oyaniv@nydailynews.com]).

Somewhat cynically, Judge Marrus answered, "I don't quite have the same confidence in the MTA that you do, Mr. Perrone." But then he said, "But I will say this: if they have it, you will get it."  The judge also felt compelled to warn the defendant about admitting his presence near the scene. However, neither Judge Marrus nor Perrone's attorney seemed to intervene to have the defense counsel make a formal application for the video material purportedly needed by the defendant, by more artfully presenting a similar description of the potential alibi potential contained in the MTA video instead of letting the defendant read his own prepared statement in open court.

As to the DA and/or the DA's Office, there was no apparent response to the defendant Perrone’s charge that the DA or somebody in the DA’s office either directly or indirectly suppressed the evidence of the defendant’s alibi for the November 16th killing. For her part in responding to the defendant’s demand for the MTA video made in open court, ADA Melissa Carvajal said she had 127 DVDs containing video surveillance relating to the case. The report in the Daily News doesn’t indicate whether she acknowledged the existence of the specific MTA video sought by the defendant, much less whether she would actually provide it in a timely fashion.

Although the hearing on Friday April 12th did deal with substantive matters, clearly relevant to the defendant’s defense, the reporter for the News, chose to portray Salvatore Perrone as being deranged and disruptive. Here is how the article by Orin Yaniv began, “In a bizarre courtroom rant, accused serial killer "Son of Sal" Salvatore Perrone insisted Friday that subway security footage would exonerate him from the third murder he is accused of committing.” Nothing in the Daily News report indicated that the defendant was reading from a written statement.

This is yet another example of the majority of the press buying into the narrative of NYPD Commissioner Kelly and Brooklyn DA Hynes that Salvatore Perrone is some kind of homicidal maniac who intended to kill again if he was not confronted and put into protracted "voluntary custody"  in the way that he was in November.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Watson this seems to be a tough one. He states he is innocent?
He said he did the first two or is that a fabrication of the media and Police Department?
I am confused!
He admits to 1 and 2 but not 3
Needs a video from MTA. Good Luck!
Watson he states around 6:05 PM on Friday the day of the murder and it is the height of the Rush Hour. Lets give him the benefit of doubt will add 15 minutes and say it is 6:20PM. He waits 5 to 15 minutes for train it is now 6:35PM, two minutes to Church Av Station it is now 6:40PM when he gets to the Street. At a very slow walk he can get to Flatbush and Linden at approx the target time The Police Department States. Collect all the video's along Flatbush and Church towards Linden they got him. You do check and he is not in them. Well then he went northbound from Parkside Ave Station and got off at Prospect Park Station and walked south same time frame
Collect all video's along Flatbush going south. Say what Watson he is not in any video's you tell me.
Judge Judy is needed Watson. Case Closed

Galewyn Massey said...

Anonymous (Sherlock ?)... 7:36AM,

First, you say, "Needs a video from MTA. Good Luck!" Then you say, "Collect all video's along Flatbush going south." If the first is unlikely, what about all the rest ?

So far, we have seen no evidence in this case. We have seen some things that might become evidence in this case.

Other than one or two video clips from court, how do you know what Salvatore Perrone states (now) or has stated (in the past) ?

Let's not rush to judgment based on a case in the papers that just doesn't add up.

Anonymous said...

I had written another message to you, but as I think now you have taught me a valuable lesson with your writing, maybe it was good to read a fresh approach and maybe I just should listen more and more.

Maybe what I see and feel somethings. I should just keep to myself.

You are a great writer for I know you speak from your heart and that is good. I will make one more comment.

They that hate, destroy themselves from within and I do have feelings for Sal and I will say a pray for him that he finds himself and the anger and hate that he carried for so long leaves him and maybe he will find peace with his mind. bye

Anonymous said...

every time you take a look at a case Hynes had its dirty. And its hack Judges like Marrus that bury it. BTW: Marrus has a useless son that found employement in the Brooklyn District Attorneys office.

Galewyn Massey said...

UPDATE: The the Staten Island Advance coverage of last Friday’s court appearance by Salvatore Perrone of Clove Lake provided few new details concerning either the man accused of three murders, Salvatore Perrone, or the goings-on in court last week. However, if you read only the coverage of the event in the Advance, you came away with a very different impression of the defendant than that conveyed by some of the other city-wide papers (See “Accused Staten Island serial killer Salvatore Perrone: Video will clear me in one case” by Ken Paulsen, 4/14/13, Staten Island Advance [http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/04/accused_staten_island_serial_k_1.html]).


Here’s how the Advance described a key part of the story in court, “Perrone claimed Friday during a hearing in state Supreme Court in Brooklyn that he entered the Parkside Avenue station shortly before Vahidipour's slaying, and that video will not show him leaving. *** By speaking out the hearing, however -- against the advice of his lawyer and the judge -- Perrone admitted he was in the vicinity of the murder. That statement could serve to implicate him further in the case, but Perrone persisted in claiming his innocence.”

Remaining untold is when and how Perrone’s lawyer and the judge specifically advised the defendant not to speak at the hearing. More important, there is no explanation why the issue of the MTA tape was being brought up by Perrone, by himself in open court, and not by his court-appointed attorney.

In earlier coverage on this and other blogs, and in the general press, Perrone had been reported to have been dissatisfied with his court-appointed attorney; and he had made it clear that he wanted the court to change his attorney. At that time, the Judge, Alan Marrus, said on the record that Perrone's attorney was doing a good job for the defendant. Perrone’s court-appointed attorney was identified in earlier coverage as William T. Martin, an attorney with a checkered past, who has long ties with the judge in the Perrone case, Alan Marrus; and a close connection to at least one heavily reported problem case involving the Brooklyn DA.

Anonymous said...

Just came across your post and want to point out that Mr. Perrone claimed to be working for the "Italian C.I.A.," said he had a lawyer who it turned out represented him on a DWI case years ago in Pennsylvania and has had no contact with Mr. Perrone since, was examined by court psychiatrists who said he has a "personality disorder," has absolutely no family or friends who come to court to support him, was recorded on video at the scene of one of the murders and had the gun used in all three killings in his house. He rants and raves in his court appearances, and you blame the judge and attorney for being biased and creating a circus. I think it is you who have the bias here.

Galewyn Massey said...

Some of what you say might have some validity, but how do you know that any of it is factual ?

"Mr. Perrone claimed to be working for the "Italian C.I.A...." exactly when and how did he make that claim?

As far as I know there is no video placing him at the "scene" of any murder --- and according to all news reports, the "Duffle Bag" with all the evidence in it was not found at his home.

Anonymous said...

An professional investigating consultant has reported that "[Police Commissioner] Kelly called [the suspect Perrone] “talkative” with detectives and said [the suspect Perrone] made incriminating statements. But Kelly refused to reveal what Perrone said." So nobody but the police know with any certainty what Perrone actually said or the context or the circumstances.

He was in police custody for two days before he was charged. He was moved from precinct to precinct; all of that was without rights or an attorney. You can be sure he made some incriminating statements in that time. So would anybody.