The Brooklyn Ink

Mob Turncoat Takes Witness Stand to Testify Against Own Father

Federal witness John Franzese, Jr. took the stand in Brooklyn Federal Court yesterday to testify against his father, reputed Colombo underboss, Sonny Franzese.
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VIDEO – Open Your Eyes

Domestic Violence in New York.

Hate Crime Trial: And Then There Were Twelve

by Matthew Huisman
“What should we do if we cannot come to an agreement on a specific count?” That was one of three notes jurors passed to Judge Patricia Di Mango during day three of deliberations in the murder trial of Keith Phoenix. The defendant is accused of killing Ecuadorian immigrant and businessman Jose Sucuzhanay. Phoenix [...]

Brooklyn Vendors Praise Vendor Hero In Times Square Bomb Plot

With long hours outside, street vendors are provided with an ample opportunity to observe their surroundings and notice if anything is askew. Brooklyn’s street vendors speak out following the foiled Times Square bomb plot.

Hate Crime Trial: In a New York Second–One Jury In, Another Out

Wednesday, Craig Newman tried to sway jurors from convicting his client, Hakim Scott. Thursday, it was Smallman’s turn to appeal to a different jury against convicting Keith Phoenix. The charges remained the same: second degree murder as a hate crime.

Hate-crime trial: Jury deliberates difference between the bottle and the bat

By Jeannette Neumann
Hakim Scott had been riding in the backseat of his friend’s car the night that an Ecuadorian immigrant was brutally beaten just feet from the red Mercury Mountaineer.
On Wednesday, attorney Craig Newman told a Brooklyn jury that Scott also took a backseat in the killing of Jose Sucuzhanay on the night of December [...]

A Rare Ruling in Criminal Court

A judge declares a mistrial at Brooklyn Criminal Court, leaving lawyers left deciding whether to start again in the case of a shooting in a bodega.

Hate Crime Trial: A Day of Confessions

Keith Phoenix and Hakim Scott are on trial for allegedly shouting homophobic and racial epithets while brutally beating Jose Sucuzhanay, who died days after the 2008 attack. Jurors heard testimony on Wednesday from two New York City Police Department detectives, drawing to a close the second week of the ongoing trial.

Hate Crime Trial: The Last Ride

By Nate Rawlings
Officer Daniel Ludeman squatted in the back of the ambulance as is sped toward Elmhurst Hospital. Next to him, paramedics monitored Jose Sucuzhanay’s vital signs, making sure he was still breathing and that his heart did not stop beating.
Blood was still coming out of Sucuzhanay’s head. Paramedics tried to staunch it without further [...]

Hate Crime Trial: Medical Examiner Says It Was the Bat, Not the Bottle

By NATE RAWLINGS

In the first three days of grueling and at times gut-wrenching testimony, prosecutors presented witnesses, transcripts, tapes, and documents that prove Jose Sucuzhanay died after an altercation with Keith Phoenix and Hakim Scott. The biggest question they sought to answer on day four was what killed him-the bottle or the bat?
Dr. Michael Greenberg took the [...]