http://www.nypost.com/commentary/4743.htm
WHY DIDN'T LAW KEEP MONSTER IN HIS CAGE?
JOHN TAYLOR, the suspected shooter in the Wendy's massacre, should have been behind bars.
But an incredible case of junk justice allowed him to go free as a bird and become the alleged architect of one of the city's most sickening blood baths.
If you speak to the Queens district attorney's office, they will tell you it is all the fault of a judge who gave the 36-year-old Taylor low-ball bail when they had him dead to rights.
If you to talk to the people of the New York state court system, they will tell you it was the fault of a bumbling district attorney's office too lazy to indict.
Surely this must be great solace for the loved ones of the deceased who awoke to the news they had a gaping hole in their future after fiends in Flushing completed their handiwork.
Mary DeBourbon, spokeswoman for the Queens district attorney's office, said: "On June 24 of last year, a man by the name of John Taylor appeared before Judge Pauline Mullings.
"He was there to face two charges of armed robbery, and the district attorney's office asked for $100,000 bail.
"The judge set bail at $3,500, which we believe was very light considering the seriousness of the charge."
And considering that this mutt was already on five years' probation for an aborted robbery, it was doggone light.
But David Bookstaver, spokesman for the New York state court system, was quick to fire back a broadside.
"Taylor could not make bail, and the bail was high enough to keep Taylor at Rikers Island for six weeks before he finally got out.
"Don't start blaming the judge, and I'll tell you why," Bookstaver said.
"Can anyone tell me why the district attorney did not indict Taylor in those six weeks? You can't bitch about the bail unless there is a move to indict.
"If the DA was concerned, regarding the amount of the bail, why didn't the office indict him and reargue bail?"
DeBourbon of the district attorney's office countered: "There were negotiations ongoing about a plea of up to 12 years in jail. It is not the policy of the district attorney's office to bring in cops and witnesses for an indictment when negotiations for a plea are underway."
Bookstaver of the state court system shot back: "They offered him 12 years. No wonder he splits."
And split he did.
At one stage, when Taylor was due for a court appearance, he called up and said he couldn't make it because he was in a hospital. Apparently, everyone swallowed that one hook, line and sinker.
DeBourbon: "Regardless of this case, Judge Jeffrey Leibowitz issued a bench warrant for Mr. Taylor on Nov. 5 of last year."
It's not as if Taylor, one of the alleged killers in the heartbreak of Flushing, was a master criminal who bamboozled the court system.
In 1996, he worked as a manager at 341 Fifth Ave., a McDonald's. He shifted his job to another McDonald's at 22 E. 42nd St.
Then he decided on a career move when he went back to the Fifth Avenue store to rob the place. His former workers, who aborted the robbery, identified him and the cops picked him up. Hence the probation.
Fast forward to June 19, 1999, when he goes to a McDonald's at 44-06 Greenpoint Avenue in Sunnyside, Queens and heists the joint for $1,100.
On June 23, he goes back to toss the joint again. Linabel Taberas recognized him as the same guy who held her up only four days before.
"Is this the same thing?" Linabel asked Taylor. Taylor was obliging. "He said: ‘Yes,' " picked up $400, placed it in a McDonald's bag and fled the scene.
Police Officer Michael Garcia of the 108th Precinct collared him real quick.
"It's the same old thing. We pick 'em up and the courts and the big shots in the district attorney's office let them go," a senior police officer said yesterday.
It is hard for anyone to arm-wrestle with either the DA's office or Judge Pauline Mullings. I'm no referee here.
I'm just glad I don't have to explain what happened to the victims' loved ones.
WHY DIDN'T LAW KEEP MONSTER IN HIS CAGE?
JOHN TAYLOR, the suspected shooter in the Wendy's massacre, should have been behind bars.
But an incredible case of junk justice allowed him to go free as a bird and become the alleged architect of one of the city's most sickening blood baths.
If you speak to the Queens district attorney's office, they will tell you it is all the fault of a judge who gave the 36-year-old Taylor low-ball bail when they had him dead to rights.
If you to talk to the people of the New York state court system, they will tell you it was the fault of a bumbling district attorney's office too lazy to indict.
Surely this must be great solace for the loved ones of the deceased who awoke to the news they had a gaping hole in their future after fiends in Flushing completed their handiwork.
Mary DeBourbon, spokeswoman for the Queens district attorney's office, said: "On June 24 of last year, a man by the name of John Taylor appeared before Judge Pauline Mullings.
"He was there to face two charges of armed robbery, and the district attorney's office asked for $100,000 bail.
"The judge set bail at $3,500, which we believe was very light considering the seriousness of the charge."
And considering that this mutt was already on five years' probation for an aborted robbery, it was doggone light.
But David Bookstaver, spokesman for the New York state court system, was quick to fire back a broadside.
"Taylor could not make bail, and the bail was high enough to keep Taylor at Rikers Island for six weeks before he finally got out.
"Don't start blaming the judge, and I'll tell you why," Bookstaver said.
"Can anyone tell me why the district attorney did not indict Taylor in those six weeks? You can't bitch about the bail unless there is a move to indict.
"If the DA was concerned, regarding the amount of the bail, why didn't the office indict him and reargue bail?"
DeBourbon of the district attorney's office countered: "There were negotiations ongoing about a plea of up to 12 years in jail. It is not the policy of the district attorney's office to bring in cops and witnesses for an indictment when negotiations for a plea are underway."
Bookstaver of the state court system shot back: "They offered him 12 years. No wonder he splits."
And split he did.
At one stage, when Taylor was due for a court appearance, he called up and said he couldn't make it because he was in a hospital. Apparently, everyone swallowed that one hook, line and sinker.
DeBourbon: "Regardless of this case, Judge Jeffrey Leibowitz issued a bench warrant for Mr. Taylor on Nov. 5 of last year."
It's not as if Taylor, one of the alleged killers in the heartbreak of Flushing, was a master criminal who bamboozled the court system.
In 1996, he worked as a manager at 341 Fifth Ave., a McDonald's. He shifted his job to another McDonald's at 22 E. 42nd St.
Then he decided on a career move when he went back to the Fifth Avenue store to rob the place. His former workers, who aborted the robbery, identified him and the cops picked him up. Hence the probation.
Fast forward to June 19, 1999, when he goes to a McDonald's at 44-06 Greenpoint Avenue in Sunnyside, Queens and heists the joint for $1,100.
On June 23, he goes back to toss the joint again. Linabel Taberas recognized him as the same guy who held her up only four days before.
"Is this the same thing?" Linabel asked Taylor. Taylor was obliging. "He said: ‘Yes,' " picked up $400, placed it in a McDonald's bag and fled the scene.
Police Officer Michael Garcia of the 108th Precinct collared him real quick.
"It's the same old thing. We pick 'em up and the courts and the big shots in the district attorney's office let them go," a senior police officer said yesterday.
It is hard for anyone to arm-wrestle with either the DA's office or Judge Pauline Mullings. I'm no referee here.
I'm just glad I don't have to explain what happened to the victims' loved ones.
