...After nearly three months, a city cop was indicted Thursday in the murder of his fiancée - a fellow officer eulogized at her funeral as the "princess" of Brooklyn's 77th Precinct...
...THE GRAND JURY ACTION BROUGHT TEARS TO THE EYES OF GARCIA'S DAD, LUIS HERNANDEZ. "I NEVER HAD ANY DOUBT THIS DAY WOULD COME, BUT I CAN'T BELIEVE HE'S BEEN FREE SO LONG. THE PAIN IS STILL UNBEARABLE, BUT I FEEL LIKE A WEIGHT CAME OFF MY SHOULDERS TODAY"... HIS WIFE, LUCIA, HER EYES GLISTENING TOO, CLUTCHED A PICTURE OF HER SLAIN DAUGHTER AND BITTERLY SAID, "IT'S ABOUT TIME. WE ARE DESTROYED. WHY DID WE HAVE TO SUFFER SO LONG? OUR DAUGHTER WAS EVERYTHING TO US"...
Officer Is Indicted in Fiancée's Slaying
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: December 21, 2007
A New York City police officer who has been on suspension since his fiancée, a fellow officer, was found shot to death in the couple's Long Island home was indicted Thursday in the case... The man, Alexis Chaparro, 27, of Bay Shore, was expected to turn himself in to authorities Friday. He was suspected in the Sept. 29 death of his fiancée, Sonia Garcia, 28, who was assigned to the 77th Precinct, in Brooklyn...
Mr. Chaparro told investigators that on the morning of Ms. Garcia's death, he heard a shot and found her in a bedroom with a chest wound.
[Full article here]
Published: December 21, 2007
A New York City police officer who has been on suspension since his fiancée, a fellow officer, was found shot to death in the couple's Long Island home was indicted Thursday in the case... The man, Alexis Chaparro, 27, of Bay Shore, was expected to turn himself in to authorities Friday. He was suspected in the Sept. 29 death of his fiancée, Sonia Garcia, 28, who was assigned to the 77th Precinct, in Brooklyn...
Mr. Chaparro told investigators that on the morning of Ms. Garcia's death, he heard a shot and found her in a bedroom with a chest wound.
[Full article here]
Officer Arrested In Girlfriend's Shooting Death
WNBC.COM
December 21, 2007
...Nearly three months later, Chaparro's indictment is the first in connection with Garcia's death. Last October, state Sen. Eric Adams, upset at the pace of the investigation, declared that police and prosecutors had hit a "law enforcement brick wall" and urged Gov. Eliot Spitzer to call on state police to assist. Ultimately, local police completed the investigation. "You're dealing with a trained member of the police department that is possibly involved, someone with knowledge of evidence, someone who knows how to destroy evidence ... or alter evidence," he said at the time. The couple met at the academy and graduated together in 2003... Garcia, a mother of two young girls, was a four-year veteran of the NYPD. On the morning she died, she had just returned from an overnight shift at the 77th Precinct in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, where she was assigned to school safety. Chaparro is expected to appear in court in Riverhead Friday morning.
[Full article here]
WNBC.COM
December 21, 2007
...Nearly three months later, Chaparro's indictment is the first in connection with Garcia's death. Last October, state Sen. Eric Adams, upset at the pace of the investigation, declared that police and prosecutors had hit a "law enforcement brick wall" and urged Gov. Eliot Spitzer to call on state police to assist. Ultimately, local police completed the investigation. "You're dealing with a trained member of the police department that is possibly involved, someone with knowledge of evidence, someone who knows how to destroy evidence ... or alter evidence," he said at the time. The couple met at the academy and graduated together in 2003... Garcia, a mother of two young girls, was a four-year veteran of the NYPD. On the morning she died, she had just returned from an overnight shift at the 77th Precinct in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, where she was assigned to school safety. Chaparro is expected to appear in court in Riverhead Friday morning.
[Full article here]
City cop surrenders in fiancee's slayNew York Daily News
By MIKE JACCARINO and CORKY SIEMASZKO
December 21st 2007
By MIKE JACCARINO and CORKY SIEMASZKO
December 21st 2007
Alexis Chaparro surrendered to Suffolk County authorities this morning in the murder of his finacee, Sonia Garcia. The NYPD instructor long suspected of killing his fiancee, fellow city cop Sonia Garcia, surrendered to authorities today after being indicted for the fatal shooting... As the days dragged on without an indictment, Garcia's family grew frustrated and accused investigators of foot-dragging. "She lived her life for this state and we still haven't seen justice in her murder," Garcia's father, Luis Hernandez, told the Daily News last month in an exclusive interview. Garcia's mother, Lucia Hernandez, added, "I'm begging them to arrest (Chaparro). It will bring me a little bit of peace in my heart." The grieving parents described Chaparro as a jealous and controlling "monster" who showed little love to Garcia's two daughters from a previous relationship, Ashley, 11, and Joselyn, 7. "I want him to be arrested," Ashley had said of Chaparro. "It would be a little bit of satisfaction, but not so much, because my life won't be the same anymore without my mom."[Full article here]
Cop charged in death of Bay Shore fiancee
Newsday, NY
BY CHRISTINE AMARIO and JOHN VALENTI
December 21, 2007
...Outside of the courthouse, Lucias Hernandez said: "As a mother, put yourself in my shoes. He didn't have no right, what he did. Only God has a right to do what he did. He destroyed a whole family," she said, adding: "Now I want for justice to have no mercy on him, the way he had no mercy on us." Her husband said: "I trust in the laws of this country that he will pay for what he has committed. My daughter served this country"... There were so many cameras and media members in the lobby at headquarters that Chaparro was led into a nearby room, used for issuing pistol licenses. There, he was formally arrested -- and about 15 minutes later Chaparro was led from that room in handcuffs by homicide detectives.
[Full article here]
Fiance charged in death of NYPD cop from Suffolk
BY CHRISTINE AMARIO | christine.armario@newsday.com
December 21, 2007
Nearly three months after a New York City police officer was fatally shot inside her Bay Shore home, her fiance was charged Friday with her murder as the victim's agonized friends and family members looked on in tears. "It's about time," Tania Salters, victim Sonia Garcia's partner at the 77th Precinct in Brooklyn, said as she awaited Alexis Chaparro's arraignment... Garcia's two daughters exited the courtroom in tears. Jocelin, 7, had puffy red eyes, and Ashley, 11, wailed loudly, echoing through the halls of the courthouse. They were each led away by members of the district attorney's office, as a stream of video cameras, photographers and reporters captured their sorrow. "Sometimes she just breaks down," Ramon Garcia, Sonia's brother, said of his older niece. Family members and friends of Garcia said they were disappointed by the bail. "That's not right," said family friend Lydia Santiago. "Her life was worth more"... Garcia's friends and relatives recalled her as a nurturing, outgoing young woman intent on fulfilling her duty to the city and being the best mother possible... Outside court, Garcia's family carried a sign with her picture in a blue police uniform. "He took her from me," Garcia's anguished mother, Lucia Hernandez, cried... Keahon, after the arraignment, expressed condolences to Garcia's family. "I'm sorry for the tragic loss of a beautiful young girl," Keahon said. "But I have a fine young man of a client, and I intend to fight for him."
[Full article here]
Officer Pleads Not Guilty in Killing of His Fiancée, Also an Officer
New York Times
By NATE SCHWEBER
December 22, 2007
...More than two dozen of Officer Garcia's friends and relatives attended the 30-minute arraignment in Suffolk County Criminal Court. Across the aisle sat Officer Chaparro's three brothers, one a retired city police officer, another an auxiliary captain for the force. A dozen armed court officers looked on... After the arraignment, several of Officer Garcia's relatives left the courtroom in tears. One daughter, Ashley Garcia, 11, was helped to the elevators by family members as she sobbed. Her other daughter, Jocelin Garcia, 7, was escorted from the courtroom by a court official, her eyes wet and red. Before the hearing, Lucia Hernandez, Officer Garcia's mother, called Officer Chaparro her daughter's "assassin" and said she welcomed the murder charge. "He'll never be able to return my daughter," she said, "but at least I can live in peace knowing that my daughter got justice."
[Full article here]
NYC cop pleads not guilty in murder of fiancee
Newsday, NY
By FRANK ELTMAN
December 21, 2007
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. - A New York City police instructor pleaded not guilty Friday to second-degree murder charges... Alexis Chaparro, 27, a four-year NYPD veteran who most recently worked as an instructor at the Police Academy, said nothing during a brief arraignment held under extraordinarily tight security in the Suffolk County courthouse. About 18 court officers ringed the courtroom, some standing shoulder to shoulder down the center aisle of the courtroom, separating several rows of grieving relatives of the victim from three of the defendant's brothers... Prosecutors had asked for $1 million cash bail, but Judge C. Randall Hinrichs set $1 million bond or $250,000 cash bail for Chaparro's release. Keahon did not immediately know if his client would be able to post the bail...
[Full article here]
Cop charged in death of Bay Shore fiancee
Newsday, NY
BY CHRISTINE AMARIO and JOHN VALENTI
December 21, 2007
...Outside of the courthouse, Lucias Hernandez said: "As a mother, put yourself in my shoes. He didn't have no right, what he did. Only God has a right to do what he did. He destroyed a whole family," she said, adding: "Now I want for justice to have no mercy on him, the way he had no mercy on us." Her husband said: "I trust in the laws of this country that he will pay for what he has committed. My daughter served this country"... There were so many cameras and media members in the lobby at headquarters that Chaparro was led into a nearby room, used for issuing pistol licenses. There, he was formally arrested -- and about 15 minutes later Chaparro was led from that room in handcuffs by homicide detectives.
[Full article here]
Fiance charged in death of NYPD cop from Suffolk
BY CHRISTINE AMARIO | christine.armario@newsday.com
December 21, 2007
Nearly three months after a New York City police officer was fatally shot inside her Bay Shore home, her fiance was charged Friday with her murder as the victim's agonized friends and family members looked on in tears. "It's about time," Tania Salters, victim Sonia Garcia's partner at the 77th Precinct in Brooklyn, said as she awaited Alexis Chaparro's arraignment... Garcia's two daughters exited the courtroom in tears. Jocelin, 7, had puffy red eyes, and Ashley, 11, wailed loudly, echoing through the halls of the courthouse. They were each led away by members of the district attorney's office, as a stream of video cameras, photographers and reporters captured their sorrow. "Sometimes she just breaks down," Ramon Garcia, Sonia's brother, said of his older niece. Family members and friends of Garcia said they were disappointed by the bail. "That's not right," said family friend Lydia Santiago. "Her life was worth more"... Garcia's friends and relatives recalled her as a nurturing, outgoing young woman intent on fulfilling her duty to the city and being the best mother possible... Outside court, Garcia's family carried a sign with her picture in a blue police uniform. "He took her from me," Garcia's anguished mother, Lucia Hernandez, cried... Keahon, after the arraignment, expressed condolences to Garcia's family. "I'm sorry for the tragic loss of a beautiful young girl," Keahon said. "But I have a fine young man of a client, and I intend to fight for him."
[Full article here]
Officer Pleads Not Guilty in Killing of His Fiancée, Also an Officer
New York Times
By NATE SCHWEBER
December 22, 2007
...More than two dozen of Officer Garcia's friends and relatives attended the 30-minute arraignment in Suffolk County Criminal Court. Across the aisle sat Officer Chaparro's three brothers, one a retired city police officer, another an auxiliary captain for the force. A dozen armed court officers looked on... After the arraignment, several of Officer Garcia's relatives left the courtroom in tears. One daughter, Ashley Garcia, 11, was helped to the elevators by family members as she sobbed. Her other daughter, Jocelin Garcia, 7, was escorted from the courtroom by a court official, her eyes wet and red. Before the hearing, Lucia Hernandez, Officer Garcia's mother, called Officer Chaparro her daughter's "assassin" and said she welcomed the murder charge. "He'll never be able to return my daughter," she said, "but at least I can live in peace knowing that my daughter got justice."
[Full article here]
NYC cop pleads not guilty in murder of fiancee
Newsday, NY
By FRANK ELTMAN
December 21, 2007
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. - A New York City police instructor pleaded not guilty Friday to second-degree murder charges... Alexis Chaparro, 27, a four-year NYPD veteran who most recently worked as an instructor at the Police Academy, said nothing during a brief arraignment held under extraordinarily tight security in the Suffolk County courthouse. About 18 court officers ringed the courtroom, some standing shoulder to shoulder down the center aisle of the courtroom, separating several rows of grieving relatives of the victim from three of the defendant's brothers... Prosecutors had asked for $1 million cash bail, but Judge C. Randall Hinrichs set $1 million bond or $250,000 cash bail for Chaparro's release. Keahon did not immediately know if his client would be able to post the bail...
[Full article here]
"...Garcia's two daughters exited the courtroom in tears. Jocelin, 7, had puffy red eyes, and Ashley, 11, wailed loudly, echoing through the halls of the courthouse..."
YOU MONSTER! SLAIN COP'S MA RIPS 'KILLER' BEAU
New York Post
By KIERAN CROWLEY
December 22, 2007
The grieving mother of an NYPD officer allegedly gunned down by her cop fiancé in their Long Island home tearfully said he "destroyed my family" as he was finally charged yesterday in the slaying. "He hasn't only destroyed my family, but she has two daughters, children that are left without their mother," said Lucia Hernandez, whose daughter, Sonia Garcia, was shot and killed in her Bay Shore home on Sept. 29. As Hernandez and her family left court, one of Garcia's daughters - 11-year-old Ashley - collapsed into her grandmother's arms in tears... "I know there is going to be justice - not even from God will he escape. I speak to God every day, and I speak to her as well. I told her she is going to get justice today," Hernandez said with tears streaming down her face... Chaparro, 27, was charged with second-degree murder for "evincing a depraved indifference to human life" and "recklessly engaging in conduct" that caused the 28-year-old Garcia's death... Chaparro turned himself in earlier in the day to Suffolk County police in Yaphank and was taken to the courthouse in cuffs. He did not answer questions from reporters as he walked into court with his lawyer. Once inside, he was met with the angry stares of Garcia's large family that packed one side of the courtroom. On the other side sat his three brothers. Extra court officers were brought in to the courtroom. After Chaparro was arraigned, tearful family members and friends of Garcia conferred with and hugged prosecutors. "They did a thorough and complete investigation. I am just happy. It was a shock to everyone, and it's about time he was arrested. They did a good job. They did what they needed to do," said Garcia's 31-year-old partner, Tania Salters of the 77th Precinct. "I am positive it was him and no one else." Chaparro is due back in court on Jan. 30.
[Full article here]
Fiancee gives self up in cop killing
New York Daily News
BY MICHAEL WHITE, MIKE JACCARINO and CORKY SIEMASZKO
Saturday, December 22nd 2007
...About 18 court officers ringed the courtroom, some standing shoulder to shoulder down the center aisle, separating rows of grieving relatives of the victim from three of the defendant's brothers. "I wanted to jump off my seat and face him, but you gotta behave in there," Garcia's brother, Ramon, 30, told the Daily News. "I felt blood rushing through my body. Pure anger."... Prosecutors asked for $1 million cash bail Friday, but the judge set $1 million bond or $250,000 cash bail. Chaparro's lawyer William Keahon did not immediately know whether his client would be able to post the bail. Garcia's brother said Chaparro should be charged with first-degree murder and denied bail. "It's not enough," he said. "Absolutely not enough."
[Full article here]
-- Sonia on Myspace
-- Previous blog entries
Heated emotions lead to courtroom near-brawl
ReplyDeleteNewsday, NY - Apr 19, 2008
BY LUIS PEREZ | luis.perez@newsday.com
April 19, 2008
It was difficult enough for Ramon Garcia to see Alexis Chaparro's relatives - the family of the man accused of killing his sister Sonia - in the Riverhead courtroom. But it was too much, he said, for his family to hear laughter from their lips.
"We got in there and [Chaparro's] brother provokes my brother, laughing," said Lucy Hernandez, the victim's sister, describing the incident that Friday led to a near-brawl in the courtroom as the families waited for a hearing in the case.
According to court officers and others present, Ramon Garcia reacted by throwing a single punch that landed on Chaparro's brother, Angel. Court officers quickly restored order, separating the two men and leading Garcia's family outside the building.
"Alexis has not said anything about what happened. And [the family] just sits in there like they're comfortable with that," Ramon Garcia, 30, of Connecticut, said after he was released by authorities hours after the 10:30 a.m. confrontation.
The Chaparro family had no comment.
William Keahon, of Islandia, who represents Chaparro, said, "Unfortunately, the deceased's brother attacked my client's brother ... the stress and the emotions created an incident that hopefully will not occur again."
The tension was apparent even before Garcia entered the small courtroom, packed on one side with Chaparro's relatives and on the other with Sonia Garcia's family.
Chaparro, a former New York police academy instructor, faces a second-degree murder charge in his fiancee's slaying in their Bay Shore home last year. Sonia Garcia, 27, was also a city police officer.
The business before Suffolk County Court Judge C. Randall Hinrichs was a motion to suppress evidence in Chaparro's trial. But moments before he was to hear the case, the fight erupted.
Garcia was charged with second-degree harassment, a misdemeanor, and given a ticket to appear at Southampton Town Justice Court, he said.
Garcia said later he regretted the confrontation.
Chaparro was indicted in December, three months after he called 911 from the Bay Shore home where his fiancee was found with a single bullet wound to her chest.
Chaparro has maintained his innocence and is being held in lieu of $250,000 cash bail. Garcia's family has said Sonia Garcia was victimized by a controlling, jealous partner.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/suffolk/ny-lichap195655982apr19,0,6746867.story
I think he's an animal for leaving her two children without a mother. Fortunate for him being a cop got him a small punishment for murder where as another person would get life sentence or death.
ReplyDeleteI hear Alexis Chapparo got out of jail on 7-13-16.
ReplyDelete