BY Oren Yaniv
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Friday, May 16, 2014, 8:55 PM
Brooklyn prosecutors officially cleared a man of murder charges relating
to a 2006 inferno he was accused of igniting based on an uncorroborated
account by someone who claimed he overheard him confess.
Other than our main witness,” assistant district attorney John Holmes said in Brooklyn Supreme Court, “there are no witnesses or eyewitnesses, no physical or other evidence that helps to support that assertion.”
Samuel Martinez, 40, thanked his lawyer Amy Rameau Friday and expressed
hope the real perpetrator responsible for the four tragic deaths will
be caught.
The expected outcome came three weeks after the shaky prosecution collapsed, which was first reported by the Daily News.
Other than our main witness,” assistant district attorney John Holmes said in Brooklyn Supreme Court, “there are no witnesses or eyewitnesses, no physical or other evidence that helps to support that assertion.”
hat witness had claimed he was in a bodega months after the fire when he heard Martinez admit his role to a pal.
The only other pillar of the 2012 indictment was a prison snitch who
became compromised after a history of delusions and homicidal ideations
was uncovered.
The blaze in a Crown Heights tenement claimed the life of a mother, her two young children and another female resident.
Martinez was alleged to have started it after a dispute with a drug
dealer. But the fire was one of a string of arsons in the area for which
he was never connected.
“The families of the victims — I hope they have justice,” Martinez told the judge.
He is still jailed for an unrelated assault case in the Bronx but his mother said they hope he will soon be able to make bail.
No comments:
Post a Comment