| At Trial for Murder of
Calvin Aaron ADA Says Mintor Rage
Did Not Justify the Gunfire
by
Matthew & Russell
Lee, Patreon Substack
100
CENTRE ST,
Feb 9 – A man is on trial for
second degree murder before
Justice Ann Scherzer in 100
Centre Street. On January 15 a
police officer who specializes
in criminal intelligence,
including monitoring the
social media account of drill
rappers, was on the stand.
Inner City Press was there.
The
officer said he gains insight
through following music
accounts; he named one that
has gone offline (or changed
its handle) since the
incident. Gangs prefer to
solve their problems with
violence? He was asked, and
quipped: Or make a new song.
He was
shown video of youths running
near 148th Street and St.
Nicholas Avenue and the
prosecutor asked, Do you
recognize-
"Beyond the
scope!" one of the defendant's
two lawyers objected. Judge
Scherzer overruled. The trial
continued - it was still going
two weeks later.
On January 29,
NYPD ballistics and firearm
experts were on the stand.
After testimony about the
cycle of fire and bullets
stacked as in a Pez dispenser,
Detective Matthew Brady took
the stand, to deliver
expertise on firearms
microscopy. Nearly ten years
ago he delivered a baby in
front of the precinct in
Bensonhurst. Now his expertise
has grown.
On February 5,
the defendant was on the
stand. He said a group of
young adults came into his
smoke shop. Soon he had a gun
to his head; they were smoking
his product. A gun was put to
his head, his pistol fell on
the ground and went off. He
disassembled the gun and threw
it in the river, between 145th
and 150th Street.
The ADA zeroed
in. Why hadn't he called 9-1-1
or anybody else? How had he
known where to throw the gun
out? He mentioned a nearby
McDonalds. NYPD expert Brady
came back to say that a gun
going off after falling is
rare.
The closings are
set for Monday; the charge
conference before that on
Friday. The defendant is
Friday-observant. Judge
Scherzer said a prayer mat can
be arranged.
To
some, it seems Michael Mintor
has been over-charged, if a
gun was in fact put to his
head. The defense moved for a
mistrial based on Judge
Scherzer saying, after Mintor
mis-heard a question, that she
thought he'd heard it. She
denied the motion for
mistrial, but gave a curative
instruction, calling herself
obnoxious. Will an appeal be
necessary - and if so, will
these snarky comments come up?
On February 9,
the ADA said it plainly: just
because Mintor was enraged, he
had no right to kill
17-year-old Calvin Aaron. She
showed the videos again, and
distinguished between the
moped with a bullet hole, and
the moped without one. She
urged the jurors to convict
him of murder.
More on X for
Subscribers here
and Substack here.
***
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