The trial of Joel Herrera for the tragic mistaken-identity murder of Glenn Wright, 20, is now in the hands of a jury. On Friday, both the defense and the prosecution presented their closing arguments, after which the judge charged the jury with their duties and sequestered them in the jury room, where they had the opportunity to examine witness testimony and other evidence presented over the past week. more ›

The prosecution and the defense have rested their cases in the murder trial of Joel Herrera, the Lower East Side man accused of fatally stabbing Glenn Wright, 20, because he allegedly mistook Wright for someone else. Most of Wednesday was spent on a criminalist with the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office, who testified that no blood had been found on a sample from the blade of a knife recovered near the scene of the crime. But both Herrera and Wright's DNA were found on blue jeans, a sneaker and a black t-shirt belonging to Herrera, who claims that he was running home because of a nosebleed when police stopped him that fateful evening back in September 2009. more ›

The young man on trial for fatally stabbing a stranger whom he mistook for someone else was splattered in blood when police apprehended him shortly after the murder, an officer testified yesterday. Joel Herrera, who is accused of fatally stabbing Glenn Wright because he thought Wright had stolen from his cousin, is currently on trial for murder in the second degree. Yesterday the officers who arrested him testified that Herrara claimed he just had a bloody nose when they caught him. more ›

Two and a half years after the murder of Glenn Wright by an alleged gang member, the trial finally got underway yesterday. As you may recall, Wright was 21-years-old when he was fatally stabbed in the neck at the Lower East Side Baruch Houses. He had stepped outside to get some fresh air and take a break from washing his grandmother's windows when a group of men approached him. Prosecutors say the gang was looking for revenge for an earlier attack, and his alleged killer, Joel Herrera, 20, told detectives he confused Wright with someone who assaulted one of his friends. more ›

An NYPD officer who got into a shootout during a foot pursuit on the Lower East Side was saved by his ammo belt early this morning. The gun battle outside the Baruch Houses erupted at 1:44 a.m. after Officers Thomas Richards and Thomas Dunne approached a man who was acting suspiciously on Columbia Street. Police sources tell the Daily News the alleged perpetrator, Luis Martinez, 25, "muttered something, turned toward Richards and opened fire." One of the rounds struck the spare ammunition magazine on Richards's gun belt. more ›

Relatives, friends, teachers, and students gathered last night to mourn the tragic death of Glen Wright, who was stabbed to death outside his grandmother's East Village building because gang members mistook him for someone else. (We noted this devastating story yesterday, and like many, we're still profoundly saddened.) Wright, who died at age 21, was taking a break from helping his grandmother wash windows at the Baruch Houses on the Lower East Side when a group of men approached him. Suspect Joel Herrera, 20, is accused of stabbing Wright repeatedly in the neck; he told detectives he confused Wright with someone who assaulted one of his friends. Cops are searching for the other assailants. more ›

Devastating: Police have told the family of a 21-year-old East Harlem man that he was fatally stabbed in the neck Saturday evening at the Lower East Side Baruch Houses because of mistaken identity. Glen Wright, who by all accounts was a beloved young man enrolled at Borough of Manhattan Community College, was there helping his grandmother clean her windows. He was getting a breath of fresh air when a gang looking for revenge for an earlier attack approached from behind, and one man plunged a knife into the back of his neck. His grandmother, Lummie Wright, tells the Daily News, "He was running for his life. He made it all the way to the front door and they chased him [and] they stabbed him once more." more ›