Accused baby beater to face homicide charges
A felon who delivered fatal smacks to a defenseless toddler’s stomach will face homicide charges, Brooklyn prosecutors said today. Tyree Wright, who was out on probation, slugged 2-year-old Jacquil Degraffenreid twice in a rage for making a mess with baby powder in his bedroom, prosecutor Wilfredo Cotto said. The blows sent the tot flying, Cotto said, “causing the baby to bounce on the baby’s bed and fall on the floor” and hit his head. Read More: New York Post
Dolan, bishops lobby against abortion
Timothy Cardinal Dolan, head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and archbishop of New York, is urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state lawmakers to reject pending bills to codify abortion rights and open a window for victims of child sex abuse to sue for old incidents. Read More: New York Post
Accused Upper East Side Madame Appears In Court
An upstate mother accused of running a prostitution ring out of a Manhattan apartment appeared in court today for a hearing on her defense. The judge will decide if Anna Gristina, 44, has enough money to pay for her own defense. The Orange County resident claims she is broke and is being represented by a court-appointed attorney. Read More: NY1
Mystery of phone in gang thug’s solitary cell causes jailbreak jitters
Federal officials are worried that a vicious Bloods gang leader up on murder charges might be planning a prison break — if not the killing or intimidation of a witness — after a cellphone was found in his solitary-confinement cell, The Post has learned. Even more troubling, law-enforcement sources said, is that a female prison guard might have smuggled the phone to him. Read More: New York Post
NJ man says winning $77M lotto ticket was part of ‘side bet’ — not office pool
The New Jersey hardhat accused of filching a $77 million jackpot from his co-workers in the same lottery pool as him presented what he said was documented proof that his winning ticket was a side bet — and not part of the group’s bet. Americo Lopes, who took the stand in his own defense, explained to a Union County jury why the winning ticket is indisputably his and his alone. Read More: New York Post
