State Sen. Monserrate Puts Onus of Abuse Case on Prosecutor

Yesterday in court, the lawyer for State Senator Hiram Monserrate, the man accused of smashing a glass on his girlfriend's face, claimed that prosecutor Scott Kessler was distorting the facts over what was merely an accident in order to "incite the court" and as a result should be taken off the case. The judge denied the request and renewed the order of protection barring Monserrate from having any contact from Karla Giraldo, who has maintained that it was just an accident (law enforcement implies she's not cooperating with them). Giraldo tried to speak in court yesterday, but was denied since it was merely a procedural occasion for the order of protection. The judge said, “In essence, what you want me to do is conduct a minitrial here. She can tell the grand jury her side of the story." Queens DA Richard Brown defended Kessler as "a nationally recognized expert in domestic violence prosecutions.” The Times reports that Monserrate, who thinks he is being smeared from many angles, had several dozen supporters in the courtroom yesterday, all wearing purple ribbons.