Bronx judge who replaced lenient jurist freed 2 accused teen shooters pending trialBy Larry Celona and Tamar Lapin
February 22, 2022
The Bronx judge who replaced a notoriously lenient colleague in handling juvenile cases just allowed two accused teenage shooters — including one charged with murder — to go free pending trial, The Post has learned.
Bronx Supreme Court Justice Naita Semaj-Williams appears to already be following in the footsteps of Acting Supreme Court Justice Denis Boyle, who transferred to adult trials and hearings after he made headlines for cutting violent teens loose on bail, law enforcement sources said.
Prosecutors from the Bronx District Attorney’s Office had asked for both 17-year-old boys to be held on bail, but Semaj-Williams ruled they should be freed — one on supervised release and the other on his own recognizance — at their respective hearings on Feb. 9.
“Crime will never go down with judges like this,” a Bronx cop griped to The Post.
One of the cases involves Braulio Garcia, 17, who was arrested on Jan. 14, along with 16-year-old Jonathan Aponte, in connection with the New Year’s Day death of a good Samaritan who jumped onto Bronx subway tracks to save another man. Both have been charged with murder, manslaughter, robbery, gang assault and other crimes.
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Source:
https://nypost.com/2022/02/22/bronx-judge-naita-semaj-williams-frees-two-accused-teen-shooters-pending-trial/
