MAN ARRESTED FOR MURDER OF BROOKLYN PROFESSOR

On May 7, New York police arrested a man on suspicion of murdering a Brooklyn psychology professor in his home. The incident took place on Stratford Road in Ditmas Park.

According to authorities, a neighbor witnessed the defendant entering the professor’s home just before 6 p.m. She then texted the professor’s wife, who was upstairs in the home with the couple’s 18-year-old daughter, to warn her of an intruder. The wife called 911, and police rushed to the scene. Upon entering the home, officers discovered the body of the 66-year-old professor, who had been beaten and stabbed to death.

Officers searched the home and found the defendant, age 28, hiding in a basement closet. He was allegedly covered in blood. Neighbors gave police surveillance footage that reportedly showed the defendant sitting in a black Lexus outside the decedent’s home for a couple of hours before getting out. He then allegedly made several trips in and out of the home before being discovered by the decedent. He was arrested and charged with murder and burglary. However, when members of the media asked him what happened in the house, he told them that he was defending himself. The decedent taught psychology at The New School.

Defendants charged with violent crimes like murder could have several defense options available to them, including self-defense. A criminal defense attorney could review the case and advise whether it is best to fight the allegations in court or attempt to negotiate a plea deal that reduces the charges. If a plea deal is arranged, a defendant may be able to obtain a more lenient sentence.

Source: CBS New York, “Brooklyn Professor Found Beaten, Stabbed To Death Inside His Own Home, Sources Say“, May 8, 2018