Posted on 11/22/2004 12:12:39 PM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
A man accused in the execution-style slaying of two undercover detectives could get the death penalty under new charges announced Monday by federal authorities. Ronell Wilson, 21, was indicted along with four other alleged members of a gang that authorities said dealt crack and illegal weapons out of a Staten Island housing project and carried out a string of robberies and drive-by shootings.
The gang "culminated its reign of terror with the execution of two courageous police officers," said U.S. Attorney Roslynn Mauskopf.
Wilson already had pleaded not guilty in state court to first-degree murder.
Authorities began to weigh possible federal charges after the state's high court ruled in June that part of New York's death penalty law was unconstitutional.
The potential for a capital case "is the most important aspect of this indictment," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. "Anyone who murders a police officer should forfeit his life."
During a sting in 2003, detectives James Nemorin, 36, and Rodney Andrews, 34, met with Wilson to buy a Tec-9 submachine from the gang. Wilson learned they were police officers and shot both in the back of the head, authorities said.
New York reinstated the death penalty in 1995, after a 25-year absence. The last execution in the state was in 1963.
I hope his time in prison is miserable until the state kills his worthless carcass. Then I hope there is a problem with the "execution of the execution" and that is is terribly slow and painful.
But woulddn't that make the life of the "servant" more valuable that that of those he serves?
My son is with NYPD and I agree with everything you said.
It's a tough,thankless job.
The most disgraceful part of this story was that the cops were executed during a "buy 'n bust" operation -- for the illegal weapons. Any normal person would think that "a string of robberies and drive-by shootings" ought to be sufficient to warrant that kind of police attention -- and perhaps get the perps an execution date.
Yup.
You're right that is normal but there is lacking info here. This particular "sting" may have been the only option at the time to develop additional probable cause regarding other investigations on this gang. If you can factor in weapons association with violent gang activity, drug sales, manufacture you can get theses a-holes strait Federal time with no breaks as opposed to more lenient state penalties.
Now the Feds are going to pursue a potential capital case against the perp for killing the two police officers -- because the top court in the State of New York has thrown out a large portion of the state's death penalty law.
If I were the Federal prosecutor in this area, I'd tell New York to take a flying leap . . . if they can't execute this mutant on their own, then f#&% 'em.
It stinks alright. I was only addressing your comment about the string of robberies/shootings and making a comment about it's better to get federal time (or death penalty) for perps if it can be done. In my experience with getting the feds to jump on board with these types of investigations, the federal "illegality" of the type of firearm has never been an issue.
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