Notorious bail-hating NYC judge releases gunman charged with shooting helpless service dog
Prosecutors asked $150,000. The judge took a promise. Honey, a service dog, took the stray round.
Summary
- The New York Post reports Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Janice Robinson released Adrian Benitez, 29, without bail at arraignment on attempted murder and other felonies after a daylight shooting in Greenwood Heights.
- Police say Benitez opened fire near Greenwood Cemetery about 5:45 p.m. on Aug. 19 during a spat. The intended target was missed. A stray bullet struck Honey, a 7-year-old Labradoodle service dog for Teresa Pezzolla, 64, who has Down syndrome.
- Brooklyn prosecutors asked for $150,000 bail. Robinson released him on a promise to return in three months. He also faces three assault counts and criminal weapon charges after his Tuesday arrest.
- A Post review of 13 Robinson cases found eight defendants walked with no bail, including two charged with attempted murder, and the other five posted low bail. She was elected last year after two decades as an insurance lawyer. Court administrators declined to discuss the ruling.
Commentary
A Brooklyn aide still sits on a vinyl chair and holds a leash that used to mean safety. She does not get a theory if a stray slug finds a service dog. She gets a vet bill and a promise that the gunman will come back in 90 days.
That is the gap. One hundred fifty thousand requested. Zero set. Eight of 13 already walked. The honest dad waits for a jury notice. The man with the handgun got a calendar reminder.
Ask every family that walks a service animal past that cemetery: if a promise beats attempted murder paper, who still owns the next sidewalk?
Comments
A stray round into a service dog is not a misunderstanding. It is a miss that still drew blood.
I posted a bond once. A promise in three months is not a bond. It is a shrug with a robe.
Attempted murder plus a firearm is the statute. Release on a nod is a policy, not a glitch.
A city that walks a shooter on a promise teaches the next one the same math.
Eight of 13 with no bail, two of them attempted murder. That is a pattern, not a bad morning.
I get docked for a late punch. He got Aug. 19, a Tuesday bust, and a walk.
A 64-year-old with Down syndrome needed that dog. A promise does not stitch a Labradoodle.
Soft dockets export. Other cities copy the robe. Stop the export.
The Post printed $150,000, Honey, Aug. 19, and eight of 13 walks. Argue those nouns.
Set the bail. Keep the gun paper. A promise is not a cage.
