News: Update for Slain NYPD Officer
(Long Island, N.Y.) The forty-two-year-old man charged with the aggravated murder of forty-two-year-old police officer Alain Schaberger pled not guilty last week to the charges. After a short hearing at Brooklyn Supreme Courthouse, the mother of the man arrested pleaded to authorities. Her son, who was previously held without bail, also pled not guilty to the charge of domestic violence.
The woman allegedly shouted in a hallway of the court saying that her son was innocent as she knelt and held the bible. Other reports have stated that she was carrying a picture of Jesus and wearing large black rosary beads while she swore by the bible. She was later escorted out of the courthouse.
If convicted of the aggravated murder charge, her son could face life in prison without the possibility of parole. The incident began earlier last month after New York City Police from the 84th Precinct responded to a domestic violence call. The man’s girlfriend claimed that he had threatened to kill her; the couple had a longtime history of domestic disturbance incidents. Some reports have stated that at least four restraining orders were violated on the night police responded to the call.
The mother of the accused also claimed that the 84th Precinct policemen were lying about her son’s role in the tragic death of their comrade. The man’s defense attorney claims that his client never touched the officers. Instead, some reports have stated that he blames the incident on the officer’s partner who was larger in size and shoved him over the stoop without noticing. According to this theory, the officer died after having lost his footing and those present at the scene didn’t even notice he had fallen until after they had brought down the man they arrested. The defense claims to have eyewitnesses willing to testify to this alternate take on the events leading to the officer’s death.
The fallen officer’s father has stated that he believes the man responsible for his son’s death will pay. The man had thirty prior arrests before being accused of throwing the officer off a stoop in Boerum Hill. The officer fell nine feet before breaking his neck while the man was being arrested outside his parents’ home.
Among those who attended the hearing were the president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association and the Police Union president. About a hundred police officers were present, and there weren’t enough spaces available for all of those who wished to be there. The man’s next court appearance is scheduled for June 17th, but he will make it through a video after taking the judge’s suggestion to do so. According to some who attended the hearing, the man wants to deal with the court proceedings from the safety of his own cell.
The funeral for the fallen officer was held at Frederick J. Chapey & Sons Funeral Home. Among those who attended were an estimated five-thousand police officers and members of the United States Navy. Mayor Bloomberg and the Police Commissioner both made eulogies.
The slain officer made the ultimate sacrifice, and sent a message to fellow officers that no call should be considered routine. The funeral was held on the same day as that of a Long Island Police Officer, who was also killed on duty. Many of the officers headed from one funeral to the other, resigning themselves to a full day of grieving.
