Charges dropped for 4th alleged assailant in Bronx anti-gay attack
The NY Daily News reports: The family of one of the victims in the vicious gay-bashing in the Bronx is disgusted with prosecutors for clearing a fourth teen originally charged in the gang assault.
Dennis Piters, 17, became the latest teen freed from jail yesterday after the District Attorney's Office admitted there was "insufficient evidence" against him.
"How can they let them go after what happened to these poor people?" said a cousin of a 30-year-old gay man who, with two 17-year-olds, was viciously beaten and violated inside a dilapidated apartment in Morris Heights.
"Their friends sodomized them with a damn stick. These guys should be held responsible for the parts they played that day," the relative said. Let go Tuesday were Bryan Almonte,17, Steven Carabello, 17, and Brian Cepeda, 17.
Of the remaining seven Latin King Goonies gang members still implicated, four have been indicted and a grand jury is still hearing the case agains three of the others.
Dennis Piters, 17, became the latest teen freed from jail yesterday after the District Attorney's Office admitted there was "insufficient evidence" against him."How can they let them go after what happened to these poor people?" said a cousin of a 30-year-old gay man who, with two 17-year-olds, was viciously beaten and violated inside a dilapidated apartment in Morris Heights.
"Their friends sodomized them with a damn stick. These guys should be held responsible for the parts they played that day," the relative said. Let go Tuesday were Bryan Almonte,17, Steven Carabello, 17, and Brian Cepeda, 17.
Of the remaining seven Latin King Goonies gang members still implicated, four have been indicted and a grand jury is still hearing the case agains three of the others.
Piters' lawyer, Fred Bittlingmaier, said his client simply got caught up in a crowd of older toughs and deserved his freedom.
"He wasn't there for the most serious accusations, Bittlingmaier said. "What the DA has done is commendable."
"That's garbage", the 30-year-old victim's cousin said. "Now these guys are back on the street, and the lesson they learned is that you can get away with hurting someone like this," said the relative.
"That's garbage", the 30-year-old victim's cousin said. "Now these guys are back on the street, and the lesson they learned is that you can get away with hurting someone like this," said the relative.
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