Syracuse cop says it took no magic for water to appear in court

Syracuse, NY - When Syracuse police Detective Rory Gilhooley testified at a recent court hearing about questioning Curtis Henderson in the fatal shooting of another man in January, his direct testimony under questioning by Chief Assistant DA Matt Doran was pretty straightforward. He said he came to work Jan. 10, was briefed about the two-day-old homicide, learned Henderson had...

Syracuse, NY - When Syracuse police Detective Rory Gilhooley testified at a recent court hearing about questioning Curtis Henderson in the fatal shooting of another man in January, his direct testimony under questioning by Chief Assistant DA Matt Doran was pretty straightforward.

He said he came to work Jan. 10, was briefed about the two-day-old homicide, learned Henderson had voluntarily come in to police headquarters with his mother, and was assigned to question Henderson who claimed over a period of about three hours that he had nothing to do with the shooting and that he had an alibi for his whereabouts at the time.

With no incriminating confession to attack, defense lawyer Michael Spano sort of got sidetracked on cross examination with questions about a cup of water Henderson had been given before Gilhooley entered the room: Where did the water come from? What officer gave it to Henderson?

Gilhooley said he assumed some other officer had provided the water to Henderson since it had to come from somewhere other than the room where Henderson was sitting.

At one point, Spano turned away to check his notes at the podium. When the lawyer turned back to the witness, Gilhooley was drinking from a cup of water that had been given to him by court officer Mary Wilson when Spano was turned away.

The lawyer zeroed right in, noting he assumed someone had given the officer the water.

“I’m not David Copperfield,” Gilhooley replied, getting a big smile from the judge.

Thief or thief's victim?
Is Ronald Bynum a purse thief or the victim of one?

Assistant DA Rob Moran pushed the thief argument at a recent bail hearing while defense lawyer Tony Belletier made the victim argument.

Moran claimed Bynum grabbed a woman’s purse and was caught a short time later with some of her property. The victim and two other witnesses identified Bynum as the thief or the person seen running away with the purse, the prosecutor said in asking state Supreme Court Justice John Brunetti to set bail at $20,000 cash or $40,000 bond.

Belletier claimed Bynum was seen running because he was chasing a man who had run off with his cell phone. Bynum caught the would-be cell-phone thief and retrieved his phone, but the man also handed over other items, the lawyer said.

Bynum was trying to figure out what to do with those other items – the purse-snatch victim’s property – when he was nabbed by police, Belletier said, asking Brunetti to let Bynum remain free.

Moran noted Bynum told that same story to the grand jury but the grand jurors rejected it and indicted him. But with Bynum voluntarily in court, Brunetti allowed him to remain free under the probation department’s Pretrial Release Program.

Stop selling drugs to keep police away, judge advises
Getting a probationary sentence for a drug conviction didn’t stop Johan Quinones from complaining – in Spanish - when given the opportunity to address County Judge Bill Walsh.

Court interpreter Tony Mueller didn’t immediately translate the defendant’s comments for the judge, instead whispering something to defense lawyer Jeff DeRoberts.

After a brief consultation with the lawyer, Mueller told Walsh that Quinones said he was constantly being bothered by the police.

“Tell him to quit selling dope and they’ll stay away from him,” the judge responded.

DeRoberts started to offer an explanation for his client’s comments, but Walsh quickly cut him off and noted there was no need to explain anything.