‘This Case Is It’

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The New York Sun

‘If ever federal and local law enforcement were solidly united in a cause, this is it. And if anyone ever needed a justification for the death penalty, this case is it.” So said New York City’s police commissioner, Raymond Kelly, last week upon the indictments of five members of the so-called Stapleton Crew. A federal grand jury in Brooklyn handed up a 30-count indictment charging racketeering, murder, murder conspiracies, narcotics trafficking, obstruction of justice, carjacking, robbery, and firearms offenses. The defendants – Ronell “Rated R” Wilson, Angel “Ice” Rodriguez, Jamal “Mal” Brown, Michael Whitten, and Paris Bullock – were allegedly part of a robbery and narcotics gang that operated out of the Stapleton section of Staten Island between 1999 and March 2003.


The crew also allegedly maintained an arsenal of illegal firearms to protect their crack-cocaine operation and to conduct drive-by shootings on public streets against rival gang members. Most significantly, Messrs. Wilson, Whitten, and Bullock are also charged with the March 10, 2003, murder and robbery of two New York City police detectives, James Nemorin and Rodney Andrews. The two officers, members of the department’s Firearms Investigation Unit, began investigating the Stapleton Crew in March 2003. During an undercover firearms transaction, Mr. Wilson discovered that Messrs. Andrews and Nemorin were police officers and shot both detectives in the head, killing them instantly.


The indictments resulted from the cooperative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the NYPD, the United States Attorney’s Office, and the District Attorney of Richmond County.


“The Stapleton Crew has terrorized our neighborhoods with its particular brand of violence and intimidation for years, culminating its reign of terror with the execution of two courageous police officers,” said the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Roslynn Mauskopf. “Today’s indictment marks a significant step in ridding the community of these criminals and delivering justice to the families of their victims.”


The federal prosecutor became involved after the New York Court of Appeals ruled the state’s death penalty law unconstitutional. The district attorney of Richmond County, Daniel Donovan, requested that Ms. Mauskopf review the case for the possible presentation of federal charges. “The indictment presented by the U.S. Attorney represents the strongest possible charges and most severe penalties that could be brought against those responsible for the assassination of Detectives Nemorin and Andrews,” Mr. Donovan said.


Most significantly, Mr. Wilson may face execution, a penalty that has not been imposed in New York since 1963. “The most important aspect of this indictment is that the killer of Detectives Nemorin and Andrews may face the death penalty,” Mr. Kelly said. “Anyone who murders a police officer should himself forfeit his life. We hope it also gives some measure of justice to the families of these heroic officers.”


Mr. Kelly served as police commissioner under Mayor Dinkins and director of the Customs Service in the Clinton administration. When he argues that this is a case for the death penalty, he is joined by millions of New Yorkers from all political backgrounds who shuddered in horror at the murder of Detectives Nemorin and Andrews. What a shame that the federal government had to rescue this case from New York state courts unwilling to put these accused killers in jeopardy of their own lives.


The New York Sun

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