Judge: Suspect in Detective Murders Is Not Allowed To Leave Solitary
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A man who could be sentenced to death should he be convicted of killing two Staten Island detectives in 2003 was denied a request to move out of solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Red Hook.
In announcing his decision Friday in Brooklyn federal court, U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis acknowledged that the 13 months Ronell Wilson has lived in isolation represents “a long period of time.” Judge Garaufis said, however, that the defendant’s housing status, determined by the Bureau of Prisons, was not tantamount to punishment, but was based on “legitimate safety concerns.” Mr. Wilson, the judge noted, violated prison rules and is incarcerated on charges of killing two police officers.
Detectives Rodney Andrews, 34, and James Nemorin, 36, were conducting an undercover gun-trafficking operation in 2003 when they were shot execution style. Mr. Wilson and four accomplices, who submitted guilty pleas to federal racketeering charges last month, were arrested in connection with the crime. Mr. Wilson, now 23, is the accused shooter.
The U.S. attorneys prosecuting the case said that although Mr. Wilson has not been written up for an infraction since October 15, he continues to struggle in his adjustment to prison life.
Mr. Wilson’s capital counsel, Kelley Sharkey, countered that though Mr. Wilson was cited for various infractions in Rikers Island and the Brooklyn facility, Mr. Wilson has had no write-ups in two and a half months and that the offenses while in federal custody have not been “of a violent nature.”
Judge Garaufis said that Mr. Wilson adhered to prison rules for only a short period of time and needs to behave for a “significant” period of time before qualifying for a status change. To monitor Mr. Wilson’s progress, Judge Garaufis ordered status reports every 30 days.
Although it was initially believed that the defense had until Friday to announce whether its defense strategy will focus on the defendant’s psychological makeup, the date is January 20. Oral arguments begin March 31. In the state case against Mr. Wilson, proceedings are scheduled for January 27.
Mr. Wilson’s trial attorney, Ephraim Savitt, said after Friday’s ruling, “We’re disappointed but we’re hopeful within 30 days when the judge revisits the issue” that Mr. Wilson will move into the general inmate population. For his client, living in solitary confinement has “been consuming him every day,” Mr. Savitt said.
