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By Pete Donohue A heroic but troubled Vietnam veteran who surrendered to authorities after nearly a decade on the lam pleaded guilty yesterday to burglary-related charges in a bid to face his future with a clean slate. Because of the plea to the misdemeanor charges, prosecutors said, will be able to return to his life and wife in Washington State to serve his probation. “I have to make amends for the things I have done in my life,” said , who won praise in 1985 for helping rescue 18 people from a burning building, but admitted in Queens Supreme Court that he stole 50 hypodermic needles from a Queens hospital in 1986., who has battled drug and alcohol addition brought on by wartime horrors, called on other Vietnam veterans with shady pasts to come clean. “I’d like other Vietnam veterans to know they have nothing to be ashamed of, “ said, his voice choked with emotion. “If they have a past they want to clear up they should do it.” After years of hiding out, , 48, walked into a Queens courtroom and surrendered to authorities in July. He was released on bail. Under a pact reached by Assistant District Attorney Miriam McEnroe, Queens Supreme Court Justice Seymour Rotker and defense lawyer Todd Greenberg, pleased guilty to two misdemeanors: trespassing and possession of stolen property. He was sentence to three years probation, which he can serve in Washington State, where he currently lives with his wife. He faced up to seven years in prison on the original burglary charge. “It’s the right thing to do,” Rotker said, nothing that has been diagnosed as having posttraumatic stress syndrome relating to his 13 months in Vietnam. said he fled Queens for California in an effort to break his dependency on drugs and alcohol and dodge the pressure of the criminal charges.

Mount Vernon Argus Gannett Suburban Newspapers By Bruce Golding A young man who fatally stabbed a fellow student inside Mount Vernon High School was spared any prison time yesterday by a merciful judge who said it was clear the killing was provoked. But the judge’s leniency prompted anguish from the victim’s mother and outrage from Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro, whose office had sought a “substantial” prison term. was sentenced by Westchester County Judge Peter M. Leavitt to five years’ probation and also granted youthful offender status – which seals his criminal record – for the first-ever homicide inside a Westchester or Putnam county school. But – who made a brief statement apologizing for the slaying – remained in custody after his sentencing because of his arrest in the Dec. 6 robbery of a Brooklyn restaurant. That crime was committed while was free on bond awaiting sentencing in the Jackson slaying, and his arrest prompted the judge to revoke the bond on Dec. 29. The judge also said he would consider a conviction in the robbery case a violation of probation and would resentence him if he is convicted. Before imposing yesterday’s sentence, Leavitt said the Oct. 24, 1994, slaying of 17-year-old was motivated “solely and entirely” by a gang attack on in which the victim took part. “The defendant found himself inextricably enmeshed in a volatile set of circumstances which escalated into a violent confrontation with tragic consequences,” Leavitt said. The judge also cited a “most unusual” letter – which he read aloud – in which 10 of the jurors who last year convicted of first-degree manslaughter urged consideration of the mitigating factors in his case. Pirro, who was in Leavitt’s White Plains courtroom for the sentencing, was visibly angered afterward. “This is what is wrong with our criminal justice system,” she said. “People are supposed to be accountable for the crimes that they commit.” Under state law, – who was 17 at the time of the killing – had faced a maximum 8 1/3 to 25 years behind bars. According to undisputed trial testimony, was walking in a crowded school corridor when he was jumped by several students, one of whom slashed his face with a knife. After grabbing the knife, briefly chased the fleeing gang members and stabbed three times from behind. The third thrust punctured the youth’s breastbone, severing his aorta, and he bled to death in a medical helicopter. In court yesterday, tearfully urged a maximum sentence for her son’s killer, saying, “My children mean the most to me.” “He has taken that from me as though he has cut off my right arm,” she said. “I have a younger baby at home who will never, never know her brother.” sentence. She was consoled in the hallway by several relatives and supporters, all of whom declined comment. remained at the county jail in Valhalla last night, but defense lawyer Todd Greenberg of Queens said he hoped to have his client freed on bail today.

By MONTE WILLIAMS A former Mount Vernon High school student convicted of stabbing a classmate to death inside the school in 1994 was sentenced today to five years of probation. The Westchester County District Attorney immediately protested the sentence. “When a jury convicts someone of manslaughter, of killing a 17-year-old student in high school, he deserves more than probation,” District Attorney Jeanine Pirro said. “What is the message we’re sending to young people? ‘You can go into our schools with a weapon, kill and walk.’ “ The defendant, Hopeton Minott, was granted youthful offender status by Judge Peter M. Leavitt of Westchester County Court, which allowed for the sentence and effectively sealed Mr. Minott’s criminal record. Mr. Minott, who was 17 at the time of the slaying, could have received a mandatory minimum sentence of 2 to 6 years in state prison or a maximum of 8 to 25 years had he been sentenced as an adult. Mr. Minott’s lawyer, Todd Greenberg, said the sentence imposed today was appropriate because of what he called “extremely mitigating circumstances. Mr. Greenberg has maintained that his client acted in self-defense. During the trial, and in an interview today, he said the victim — Shebuel Jackson, a star center fielder on the school baseball team — was one of five or six youths who accosted Mr. Minott in the hallway between classes. In that attack, Mr. Minott was stabbed above the eye before he wrestled a knife from one of his attackers and chased Mr. Jackson, stabbing him three times in the neck, Mr. Greenberg said. “The jury acquitted him of murder,” Mr. Greenberg said. “There was a note from the jury about the sentencing. The jury asked the court to be as lenient as possible, although that’s not controlling on the judge.” He added: “I think the judge acted extremely fairly given the circumstances he was presented with. The circumstances speak for themselves.” In criticizing the judge’s decision, Ms. Pirro pointed out that Mr. Minott, while free on bail and awaiting sentencing for the manslaughter conviction, was indicted on charges of first-degree robbery. The authorities said Mr. Minott and a 15-year-old took several hundred dollars at gunpoint from a restaurant on Stuyvesant Avenue in Brooklyn, where Mr. Minott moved after the slaying. Mr. Minott pleaded not guilty to the robbery charge in December. Ms. Pirro, a former county judge, proposed legislation in 1994 that would erase youthful offender adjudication upon a second conviction. “Under the legislation I’ve proposed, if Minott is convicted of robbery, the manslaughter conviction would be put back on the books,” said Ms. Pirro, who called the sentencing emblematic of problems with the criminal justice system. “Why should someone who has chosen a life of crime continue to get youthful offender adjudication?” The 1994 incident was the first killing in a Westchester high school. With 2,600 students, Mount Vernon High is the county’s largest high school. It has installed metal detectors since the slaying.

The Reporter Dispatch Gannett Suburban Newspaper By Will David A Mount Vernon High School student who was fatally stabbed in October 1994 in the school’s halls was responsible for his own death because he was a member of a “posse” that attacked the student who killed him, a defense attorney told a jury yesterday. The attorney, Todd Greenberg, told jurors that his client, Jr.,, 18, was defending himself against , 17, and possibly nine other students when the death occurred after first period. Greenberg said the group jumped , punched and kicked him, and he fell against a wall. One of the students cut over the eyebrow with a knife, and blood gushed all over his face, the lawyer from Queens said. “ actions – under the circumstances – were reasonable and justified,” Greenberg said. Greenberg made his comments yesterday in the Westchester County courthouse in White Plains during opening statements in murder trial. is charged with one count of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree manslaughter. The case is being heard before county Judge Peter M. Leavitt. The October 24, 1994, killing of at Mount Vernon High School, one of the state’s largest schools, was the first homicide in a Westchester or Putnam county high school. In his opening statements, Assistant District Attorney Doug Fitzmorris admitted that and others ambushed in the hall. One of the attackers had a knife and stabbed the defendant, Fitzmorris said. But when , who was alone, wrestled the knife away, they all ran, the prosecutor told the jury. Fitzmorris said chased and stabbed him three times from behind. One wound severed the victim’s aorta, he said. “He was no longer the victim, but the attacker,” Fitzmorris said. stumbled down the stairwell and collapsed on the first floor. He bled to death on the way to Westchester County Medical Center in Valhalla in a medical helicopter. Fitzmorris described the killing as tragic. “ death was needless. death was for no good reason. did not have to die,” Fitzmorris said. Fitzmorris said an Oct. 18 fight between the defendant and another student, , 17, led up to the fatal brawl. and , a newcomer to the school, fought after an argument about the way each looked at the other. They were both suspended from school for two weeks and returned Oct. 24., and others planned to attack on the day the pair returned from suspension. They did it after first period. The halls were crowded. and his friends punched and kicked , Fitzmorris said. One stabbed him. It began and ended in a few minutes, the prosecutor said. Fitzmorris said it is not clear who had the knife. “ choice is a significant choice once he has the knife,” Fitzmorris said. “He runs down from behind and stabs him three times.” Greenberg said the students who attacked should be on trial. Later, outside the courtroom Greenberg said those students would not testify in the case. Greenberg told the jury that after the fight with , whose mother is an employee at the high school, returned to the school with his father, , to mediate the dispute with school officials. Greenberg said the school postponed the mediation session and allowed both boys into school. Less than two hours later, the ambush that Darden, and others had planned on the telephone Oct. 22 swung into action, Greenberg said. That led to death, he said.

The Morning Call Allentown/Lehigh and Berks By Debbie Garlicki A Pentecostal minister from New York who participated in a riot at Dorney Park in 1992 will serve three months in the Lehigh County Prison’s work-release center. Judge James Knoll Gardner rejected defense pleas for probation for the . Gardner also denied requests to allow the 64-year-old minister to remain free on bail pending appeal and to delay the start of the sentence for two weeks. is to pay a $500 find or do 100 hours of community service in addition to serving three to 23 months in jail. The judge also ordered him to get counseling in alternatives to violence and to stay out of Dorney Park. His wife of more than 40 years and some of his 11 children were in the county courtroom. Gardner said was convicted of serious crimes, and nearly three years have passed since the riot because of post-trial motions the defense filed. It’s unlikely will win on appeal, and it’s time to serve time, the judge said. knew he might be facing jail because his son, who also was convicted, got a jail sentence, Gardner noted. “He’s had three years to prepare for it,” the judge said. In 1993, a jury convicted of aggravated and simple assault, disorderly conduct and rioting. , pastor of the Church of Fire in Brooklyn, punched a South Whitehall Township police officer twice in the face during a brawl between a busload of church members, police, park security guards and strangers who joined in the melee., who was 28, was accused of punching the park’s security chief, who was trying to get the younger mother off a security guard. In 1993, he got three to 12 months in jail. Police said the riot started after church members were told that two girls in the group, one of them granddaughter, were being arrested for punching security guards. A guard was trying to evict one of the girls from the park because she twice jumped a line for a roller coaster. New York lawyer Todd D. Greenberg asked the judge to consider that the elder has led a law-abiding life, has raised many children to be responsible adults, and has been a compassionate spiritual leader in his church and community. He worked in a warehouse for many years and lives off a meager pension but still manages to give food and clothing to the less fortunate and guidance to young people, said Greenberg at a hearing yesterday. Gardner said he received letters, sent by ministers of three New York churches and signed by more than 50 members, lauding the elder good works. He also got a letter from a councilwoman whose district includes Brooklyn. has no recent criminal record but served about a year in a North Carolina jail when he was in his early 20s. Greenberg asked the judge not to hold that against , saying he has led an exemplary life for the last 40 years. The day of the riot, made a mistake out of emotion, but jail would serve no purpose, said Greenberg. Speaking softly, apologized to the park’s security chief and prosecutors. Deputy District Attorney Jacquelyn C. Paradis said sorry isn’t enough because of injuries to police and security personnel and the danger in which they were placed when, according to police, “all hell broke loose.” She said some time in jail was warranted. Security Chief John Gilchrist said he suffers from breathing problems. He wife, also a security guard, has headaches, a deputy chief has continuing elbow ailments, and one officer received a concussion when her head was banged against a metal fence. One police officer was bitten when church members swarmed on authorities and had to undergo periodic testing for disease, said Paradis. She said should have set an example for his followers by quelling the disturbance and cooling tempers instead of flaming them. He should have shown restraint, not provoked the group, the prosecutor added. The judge took a 25-minute recess before announcing the sentence and explaining reasons for it. When Gardner re-entered the courtroom, he spoke with a deputy sheriff. Sheriff Ronald Rossi and additional deputies came to the courtroom soon after and stood around and in front of family members seated in the courtroom. Gardner said he considered good deeds but also had to take into account his actions during the riot and the injuries to authorities. As the patriarch and leader of the group, could have prevented the riot, and some punishment is required, despite the minister’s mostly crime-free life, Gardner said.

Mount Vernon Argus Gannett Suburban Newspapers By Will David A Mount Vernon High School student charged in the stabbing death of another student acted in self-defense, his lawyer said yesterday. Queens lawyer Todd Greenberg said , 17, feared for his life when , 17, was stabbed in a school hallway on Monday morning because moments before he had been attacked by five students – at least one armed with a knife. “My client is innocent,” Greenberg told Mount Vernon City Judge Barbara Gunther-Zambelli yesterday during arraignment on one count of second-degree murder. “He has a very viable defense in this case.” Meanwhile, at the high school, the emotional aftermath of death was played out in counseling sessions throughout the school and in a protest staged by some 200 students at the Education Center. had knife wounds over his right eye and on his left hand as he stood before the judge. “He was attacked by other people who had knives,” Greenberg said after the arraignment. “He felt in danger for his life when he acted.” According to police, five people started beating in the hallway of the 100 California Road school between periods shortly after 9 a.m. One person stabbed him over the eye with an 8-inch knife and tried to do it again when wrestled the weapon away. All five then retreated. is accused of grabbing and stabbing him, police said. died in the hospital. Greenberg called on police to arrest those who set upon . Detective Capt. Michael Mosca said police and Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro had not yet decided whether to do that. Police have identified and questioned members of the group, Mosca said. “We are not read to charge anybody else,” Mosca said. “This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing, “Mosca added. “The plan was to jump the kid in the hall. I still don’t know who had the knife that cut .” Detectives are not sure if was supposed to be stabbed, Mosca said. Police also do not know if was among the attackers, Mosca said. The case will go before a grand jury, Pirro said. The grand jury will look into the homicide of and the circumstances surrounding the attack on . “My job is to make sure that justice is done and that the innocent is not convicted and the guilty is convicted,” Pirro said. During the court hearing, Judge Gunther-Zambelli granted a request by Greenberg and ordered placed in protective custody at the Westchester County Jail, where he was being held without bail.

By Jacques Steinberg MOUNT VERNON, N.Y., Oct. 25 – A lawyer for the 17-year-old student charged with fatally stabbing another student at Mount Vernon High School on Monday said today that his client had acted in self-defense after being attacked by the victim and several other students in a hallway. But the Mount Vernon Police Chief, Michael J. Craparo, said it was not clear whether the victim, , had been one of at least four youths who had accosted the suspect, . That fight, in which was cut on the forehead, led to the stabbing of , the police said. , also 17, was a star center fielder on the school baseball team. The mood at Westchester County’s largest high school – it has 2,600 students – remained tense. An undercover police officer and a reinforced detail of 32 security guards patrolled the hallways and detectives continued their investigation, interviewing more than a dozen witnesses. After a fire alarm sounded, more than 50 students left the school and marched about a half mile to the Board of Education headquarters to protest safety conditions. The police said that the 10-minute demonstration, which included several adults, had been peaceful and lasted about 10 minutes. At the red-and-tan-brick school, a team of psychologists, social workers and guidance counselors visited classrooms to soothe jittery nerves. Some students spoke of the need for metal detectors, a measure that has been rejected in the past by the Board of Education. But others said that their fears – fanned over the years by glimpses of smuggled knives and box cutters – would not be eased by security devices alone. “We have to start with the mentality of the students who go here,” one young woman said at a group counseling session. She added that even with metal detectors students would find a way to smuggle in weapons. At his arraignment in Mount Vernon City Court this morning, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. He was ordered held without bail pending a preliminary hearing on Monday. In an interview, lawyer, Todd Greenberg, asserted that had been part of the group that had attacked his client and provoked the stabbing. He said that – who was cut above the right eyebrow and required about five stitches – would probably mount a self-defense defense. Chief Craparo said that in the moments before was stabbed, was cornered against a wall by his attackers, knocked to the ground and slashed with a knife wielded by someone has been unable to identify. wrested the knife away and, moments later, stabbed three times in the neck, the chief said. Investigators have not yet determined whether was one of assailants or someone who got caught in the second-floor hallway at the wrong time, the chief said.

January 30, 1994 By Bruce Lambert The Maze — and shock over a killing there more than a year ago — refuse to go away. For years the zigzag passageway between warehouses on 74th Street near 52d Court in Maspeth has had an exciting, forbidden appeal to youngsters, who used it as a hangout, a hideaway and private graffiti gallery. On Dec. 6, 1992, the police say, 16-year-old was kicked, then stabbed 18 times, in an angry dispute over money. He died on the spot, in the presence of horrified friends. In the aftermath, , 17, was charged with murder. Local officials declared the Maze dangerous and demanded it be shut down, and the landlord, Louis Sheriff, erected a concrete block wall with a locked door and gave the police the key. But now neighbors are reliving the case as they debate recent acquittal after a five-week trial. And a new push is on to seal the Maze, which still attracts teenagers. “It’s a horrible place, not safe for anyone,” said City Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz. She wants it somehow removed or permanently sealed. “I don’t want to ever have to revisit the Maze,” she said, “or have anything horrible happen there again.” At the front enclosure of the Maze, someone glued the lock, so the police can’t get in with the key. The top five rows of concrete blocks have been broken off, enabling teenagers to scale the wall more easily. And the back entrance, along the adjacent Conrail tracks, remains accessible. Police at the 104th Precinct say that except for the slaying, they are not aware of serious crimes at the Maze. Yet many neighbors say it draws youths and some adults, with drinking, drugs, carousing and fighting that leave broken bottles and even bullet casings — raising fears that more serious trouble could reoccur. And if it did, the acquittal of — in a case where four eyewitnesses testified against him — has undercut their faith that justice will be served., mother of the victim, called the verdict outrageous. After the acquittal on Jan. 12, she said, “I walked out with all those kids. They sobbed and cried. Everything fell apart. It was awful.” One witness, , who lived across the street from , said he had tried to stop the attack. suffered post-traumatic stress syndrome with disrupted sleep and nightmares, his mother, , said, requiring intensive psychotherapy. “When the verdict came in, he was devastated all over again,” she said. “What scares us now is this guy got off and is around.” did not respond to messages left with his lawyer. Debra Lynn Pomodore, the assistant district attorney who prosecuted, said: “We had absolutely no doubt this was the person who did it. Our evidence was overwhelming, with four eyewitnesses who knew him.” Critics of the verdict variously blame faulty investigation and prosecution, adverse actions by the judge and adroit moves by the defense lawyer, Todd D. Greenberg. He challenged the credibility of the four young witnesses, portraying them as graffiti vandals. He also contended that the kick to the head may have killed , not the stabbings as the medical examiner and indictment specified. And he pointed out the knife that was recovered was never tested for blood. “I saw the whole thing — I don’t know what that jury was thinking,” said , who called the ambulance to the murder scene. He and other witnesses expressed dejection that the jury apparently did not believe them. His mother, , said: “The kids have lost faith. We told them to tell the truth, and they did what was right. But the system failed — what do I say now?”

New York Newsday By Graham Rayman A Queens jury has acquitted the Maspeth teenager accused of stabbing a 16-year-old boy to death in a graffiti-covered warren of alleys in Elmhurst called “the Maze.” After a five-week trial, the jury Wednesday evening found , 17, of Maspeth not guilty in the Dec. 6, 1992, slaying of in the Maze, which is near 52nd Court and 74th Street in Elmhurst. The verdict surprised law enforcement officials and the victim’s family, who said prosecutors presented four witnesses. “I don’t know how I’m going to move on after this,” said , the victim’s mother. “Everyone was very confident that the verdict would be guilty,” said , the victim’s father. “All in all, eight children saw what happened. I just can’t understand. I don’t know what to say.” “The jury has spoken and we abide by their decision,” said Richard Piperno, a spokesman for the Queens district attorney, echoing a statement made Wednesday by prosecutor Debra Lynn Pomodore, who declined to comment yesterday. “I just feel that the people just did not surpass their burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” said Todd Greenberg, attorney, adding that his client “cried and was happy” when the verdict came down. During the trial, Greenberg presented no witnesses, focusing instead on attacking the prosecution’s case. In his summation, he challenged the credibility of prosecution witnesses, the physical evidence and the medical examiner’s ruling on the cause of death., the mother of one witness, criticized State Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Braun as biased toward the defense and said her faith in the judicial system was shaken. “It will never be over because he walked,” she said. “I’m not going to comment on the verdict, but if he didn’t do it then you have to wonder who did it,” said City Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz, one of several politicians who pressured the property owner to build a wall at the entrance to the Maze after death. A security guard who works in the warehouses that make up the Maze said because of the cold weather, activity is down, but teenagers still sneak into the area. Gary Giordano, district manager of Community Board 5, said kids still sneak into the area through an entrance next to a set of railroad tracks and then scale another wall. There are as many as 12 ways to get into the Maze.

By Blanca M. Quintanilla A Queens teenager accused of stabbing a 16-year-old boy to death in an Elmhurst hangout known as “The Maze” was acquitted of murder charges last night., 17, of Maspeth, lowered his head and cried softly when the jury’s verdict was announced. His family and friends in the courtroom embraced and many also cried. The verdict stunned family members of , who was stabbed 18 times in the graffiti-scarred series of alleys behind warehouses near the Elmhurst gas tanks. “A young man is dead, but my client pleaded innocent from the beginning and the verdict showed that,” said attorney, Todd Greenberg. Assistant District Attorney Debra Lynn Pomodore said only, “The jury has spoken and I accept the verdict.” Jurors were unavailable for comment last night. Greenberg did not call a single defense witness during the trial. He attacked the credibility of the graffiti vandals who testified they saw repeatedly stab on Dec. 6, 1992. The Maze is a series of alleys formed by the walls of warehouses at 52d Court and 74th St. At the time of the slaying, police said it was a hangout for teens who often scrawled graffiti and set fires.

By Janet Tarpey The fate of the Queens College student accused for stabbing 16-year-old to death in “the Maze,” now lies in the hands of six men and six women. Jury deliberations began last Monday night, bringing the two-month long trial nearer to an end. At press time, the jury was still out. In his closing arguments in a Jamaica courtroom, defense attorney Todd Greenberg told the jury that the lack of physical evidence presented by the prosecution warranted an acquittal for his client, . The state is trying him for intentional murder. However, Greenberg has repeatedly questioned the testimony of the medical examiner, suggesting that died from a kick to the head, not the 18 stab wounds inflicted on his body. If this is the case, the state’s charge of intentional murder would prove untenable. Of the four teenagers who testified to being in the maze, a series of alleyways in Maspeth that have since been sealed, three said they saw repeatedly plunge a knife into body on Dec. 6, 1992. While Assistant District Attorney Debra Lynn Pomodore’s case appears fairly convincing, Greenberg has challenged the credibility of her teen-age witnesses. He pointed out that they were all members of the same graffiti gang, a gang that did not belong to. “Does that preclude them from being truthful witnesses?” Pomodore asked the jury, adding that the medical examiner found the testimony of those witnesses to be accurate. did not testify in the case. Greenberg did not call any witnesses, claiming that the state’s case did not warrant a rebuttal. should not be convicted of intentional murder according to Greenberg, because may already have been dead when he was stabbed. Witnesses’ accounts said that kicked in the face while he was kneeling down and bending over to ignite a pile of leaves. The kick allegedly caused to convulse on the ground before he stopped moving. Blood found in the chest cavities and abdomen prove that theory false, argued Pomodore. “He was alive at the time of the stabbing,” she said. The medical examiner found no injury to the brain or the skull, Pomodore continued. Greenberg suggested that because his client didn’t have a “tag” (a graffiti name) and wasn’t part of “the crew,” that he was singled out by gang members. “Let’s give the defendant a tag,” Pomodore told the jury. “The only tag appropriate is murderer,” she said as she asked the jury to find , 18, guilty of intentional murder. If convicted, faces 25 years to life in prison.

By Blanca M. Quintanilla The attorney for a teenager charged with brutally stabbing a 16-year-old boy to death in an Elmhurst teen hangout told a jury during closing arguments yesterday that his client was charged with a crime he did not commit. Todd Greenberg, a Forest Hills attorney representing , 17, also said that the victim, , may have already been dead — from a severe blow to the head — before his client allegedly stabbed him. “The stabbing was not the cause of death,” Greenberg said in front of a crowded Jamaica courtroom. “What’s the motive? Why would 17-year-old , a Queens College student, want to murder ? Assistant District Attorney Debra Lynn Pomodore rejected Greenberg’s theory. Telling the jury she did not need to prove a motive for the killing, she said “savagely” stabbed 18 times., 16, of Maspeth, was found dead on Dec. 6, 1992 in the graffiti-scarred series of alleyways in Elmhurst teens call The Maze. If convicted of murder, faces 25 years to life in prison. Greenberg attacked the testimony of Dr. Aglae Charlot, the medical examiner who performed an autopsy on , saying she failed to do a complete autopsy. “The people’s witnesses lack credibility,” said Greenberg. He did not call one witness on behalf of his client, saying the people’s case didn’t merit a rebuttal. He also blasted the three prosecution witnesses who said they saw stab repeatedly. He told the jury that members of a graffiti drawing group had pinned the murder on his client because he was not a member of the crew, did not have a “tag,” and was the only outsider in a closely knit group. Pomodore urged the jury to give a tag name. “The only appropriate tag is murderer,” she told the jury. She noted that first kicked to render him helpless. Pomodore rejected any suggestion that was dead when he was stabbed. “The only issue presented to you at this time is what is the identity of the person who stabbed to death on Dec. 6, 1992,” Pomodore said. The jury began deliberations last night.