Students accused of perpetrating an anti-Semitic attack on campus two weeks ago appeared in court Tuesday morning.Bryan Pedreiro, 18, and Michael Walsh, 20, were present in court, where Judge Frank T. Brady presided. They are two of the four Temple students facing charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, ethnic intimidation and conspiracy following the Feb. 15 attack.
Prosecutor Christy Tuttle said that because two of the defense attorneys were recently attained, they requested a continuance date so that they have time to prepare.
David Scott, 20, and Stephen Scott, 19, were not present in court.
“The matter was postponed,” said Fortunato Perri, David Scott’s attorney. “There was an agreement between the defense and the commonwealth that they didn’t have to appear in court today.”
Perri said that he is still investigating the case and that all of the allegations are in question. He also said that two of the prosecution’s witnesses were called off this morning.
Carmen Nasuti, one of the partners defending Bryan Pedreiro, said that he is also still awaiting more evidence.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” he told reporters outside the 22nd/23rd Police District at 17th Street and Montgomery Avenue, where court was held.
“My partner [Jeffrey Miller] kind of felt sorry for this kid,” Nasuti said. “If there was a video tape, I want to see it. I don’t know what their evidence is.”
Tuttle said that evidence usually isn’t passed over to the defense until before the trial. She said at this point she cannot predict whether or not this case will reach that stage.
“There’s very little at this point,” she said. “We’re still getting the police paperwork together and the defense is obviously preparing at this point.”
Nasuti said he isn’t sure whether he or his partner will take on the case. He said Miller was not present because he was out of town.
Pedreiro appeared in court with two women, one of whom Nasuti said he believed was his mother. Walsh arrived alone and left soon after the case was presented before the judge.
Perri also mentioned a prior assault that may have precipitated the incident.
“This has been completely blown out of proportion,” he said, calling it simply a fight between college kids.
Capt. Robert Lowell of Campus Safety Services declined comment on this, citing that the case is still an active investigation.
The preliminary hearing is now scheduled to take place April 29 at 8 a.m.
Morgan A. Zalot can be reached at morgan.zalot@temple.edu.
Why don’t we see any photos of the accused assailants? Are they white or black?
See original story…
http://temple-news.com/2008/02/28/students-arrested-in-connection-with-hate-crime/
To: William Walker II—
Hopefully you can put your prejudices aside long enough to vote for AMERICA, which hopefully includes all races and sexes.
Using your logic, should I vote AGAINST someone because they have supposedly favored Blacks or women more than they have favored Whites or males??
When the enemy attacks us, WE ARE ALL AMERICANS.
BTW, although I am a very proud and observant Jew, when Joe Lieberman was running for VEEP, and could have been the first Jewish VEEP, I chose NOT to vote for him. I put aside my own preferences or prejudices, and voted for what I believed to be best for America.
I hadsupported Lieberan, many times, for CT Senator, and think that he is a GREAT man and observant Jew—-IMHO, he and Gore were not right for America.