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Man Willing to Testify Against MS-13, Found Dead
36-year-old Wilmer Maldonado Rodriguez’s body was found Sunday outside an abandoned home in New Cassel. Rodriguez was willing to testify against MS-13 members who attacked him in 2018. According to the police, he was found dead after his identity was disclosed to defendants’ attorneys in pre-trial proceedings.
In 2018, Rodriguez came to the defense of two boys that the gang was threatening. In a Newsday report, Rodriguez “was attacked when he intervened in October 2018 when two boys were allegedly threatened by MS-13 and was struck with a bat in the head and stabbed multiple times, authorities said.”
New York man attacked by MS-13, who was set to testify against them, found dead.
A New York man willing to testify against MS-13 members who attacked him in 2018 was found dead earlier this week after his identity was disclosed to defendants’ attorneys.https://t.co/aQwNTrVqqw— Dr. James Cordella (@drjamescordella) February 7, 2020
“This courageous man was prepared to testify against his alleged assailants at an upcoming trial, but he was brutally beaten to death before he could,” Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said in a statement. “This case underscores the importance of safeguarding the identities of witnesses and victims of crime and our hearts are with Mr. Maldonado’s family and friends as we grieve his loss.”
According to Singas, prosecutors tried to keep Rodriguez’s identity secret by obtaining a protective order in December 2018. However, it was later turned over according to a judge’s instruction “as part of pre-trial discovery in which the prosecution reveals its evidence so the defense can prepare,” reported Newsday.
Rodriguez’s death prompted a news conference wherein officials initially linked it to “recent changes in criminal justice reforms that speed up discovery, only to later say there was no direct correlation,” said Newsday.
7 Comments
The judge had to be in on it! Duh!!!
No, discovery is part of our judicial system. The problem lies with the asshole defense Attorneys but maybe a better protection plan could have prevented this. I don’t know how extensive the witness’ family was but temporarily relocating them comes to mind. Unfortunately, sometimes the lives don’t matter as much as the cost!!! This really sucks!!! This is an EXTREMELY VILE AND VIOLENT GANG. A man willing to testify against them is a person you must protect. However, who knows where this MS-13gangs tenicals reach. How extensive their intrusion into the criminal justice system is. Were the perps in custody and in that case did the defense team pass the information to gang members on the outside??? Questions that the MSM WON’T ASK OR DEMAND ANSWERS TO!!!!
When the lawyer passed his bar exam and applied for his license to practice in the state of New York he swore an oath to uphold the law. In a case like this the defense attorney should be held accountable for any wrongful doing because he did swear that oath. And the only way the defendants could have obtained that information is from their defense attorney. Sooner or later this is going to have to stop. My condolences to the family.
Laws are made to protect law abiding, tax paying and productive citizens. When you break those laws you should have to waive your rights to their protections. You don’t follow the rules, you get kicked out of the game. The liberal interpretation of many of our laws and rights unfairly favor those who don’t follow the rules, aren’t productive citizens and who should not benefit from them.
The judge didn’t have to order the identity released & obviously the defense attorneys disclosed the information to their clients.
The real issue here is why do we have Mexican Gangs running free in America. War should bd declared until every last one of them are dead, in prison, or on their way back to Mexico
I agree with Bill, they should also take any lawyer that would represent these lowlifes back to Mexico also.