Last year, a police officer died while responding to a call about a domestic disturbance in Boerum Hill. George Villanueva, whose girlfriend said he was drunk and trying to kill her, was fighting off police officers and shoved Officer Alain Schaberger off the stoop railing, only for Schaberger to fall to his death. Today, a jury found Villaneuva guilty of aggravated manslaughter, but he was acquitted of murder. more ›

NBC New York aired an interview that alleged cop killer Lamont Pride gave to police about the fatal shooting of police officer Peter Figoski. Pride says, "The reason I decided to come forward with everything is I need to help myself out of this situation. I’m not gonna get out of it. I know I’m gonna do some type of crime. I’m not trying to do the max." more ›

In the wake of the murder of 22-year NYPD veteran Peter Figoski yesterday, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund has announced that the number of law enforcement officers across the country who have died in the line of duty is already up 14% over last year. There have been 166 total fatalities so far this year, up from 146 in 2010. And Craig Floyd, Chairman of the fund, says, "For the first time in 14 years, firearms-related deaths will outnumber traffic and 'other'-related deaths." Why the increased death toll. Theories include budget cuts, increasingly violent criminals, and "anti-government" protests. more ›

After his previous trial ended in a mistrial, today a jury found Lee Woods guilty of murder for the 2007 killing a police officer. Woods and two friends, Dexter Bostic and Robert Ellis were in a stolen car when Officers Russel Timoshenko and Herman Yan pulled them over; both cops were shot and Timoshenko died from his injuries. The three defendants were tried at the same time, but with different juries: Ellis was acquitted of murder (his jury believed he was the driver and not a shooter), outraging Timoshenko's family and the NYPD, while Bostic was found guilty and Woods' trial ended in mistrial when a juror had health problems. In Woods' second trial, his lawyer argued his client was the driver. Timoshenko's parents were thankful for the verdict. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg spoke out against the murder acquittal of Lillo Brancato Jr. Brancato, on trial for the death of an off-duty police officer, had claimed he was "dope sick" and didn't realize his friend Steven Armento was armed during their quest for drugs. Bloomberg said, "This business that, 'Oh, I was high on drugs' is no excuse. This business that 'I didn't know there was a gun' is no excuse... If you and somebody else choose to rob somebody and the other person pulls a gun, you're as culpable under the law and should be held to the same standards as the one that actually did the shooting... It's society that is hurt by the juries' not standing up for those that are putting their lives on the line." Armento, who shot an off-duty cop who interrupted their attempt to get drugs from a friend's house, was convicted and Brancato's lawyer had emphasized Brancato was not the shooter. more ›

Yesterday, juries in two separate cop killing cases came back with news that left the victims' families upset: Lee Woods, on trial for killing police officer Russel Timoshenko during a traffic stop, was granted a mistrial because one juror was ill while Lillo Brancato Jr., on trial for killing off-duty police officer Daniel Enchautegui, was found not guilty of murder. more ›

A jury found Lillo Brancato Jr. not guilty in the murder of off-duty police officer Daniel Enchautegui. Brancato did not fire the gun used in the killing; his friend Steven Armento, already convicted of murder, fired the shot, but the Bronx DA's office was able to charge him with murder and said Brancato was also responsible for Enchautegui's death. Brancato's lawyer claimed his client was just a drug addict—"He didn't have a gun, never alleged to have a gun, never committed a crime of violence, got shot." The jury had been deadlocked last week, but the judge asked them to continue their deliberations. The 32-year-old former actor was, however, found guilty of attempted burglary. more ›

The third trial for the men accused of killing police officer Russel Timoshenko has ended in mistrial. According to the NY Post, "a female juror, who had reported health palpitations and high blood pressure on Friday morning, said that she was unable to resume deliberations until she underwent more tests." more ›

Yesterday, jurors found Dexter Bostic guilty of murder in the fatal shooting of police officer Russel Timoshenko. This was the second verdict in Timoshenko's killing; earlier this week, Bostic's friend Robert Ellis was found not guilty of murder (but guilty of weapons possession) while a third defendant, Lee Woods, is still awaiting his verdict. Bostic's lawyer, who said they would appeal, suggested outrage over Ellis's acquittal compelled jurors to find him guilty, but the Daily News noted how prosecutors had more evidence in this case: "His DNA on a picked-clean Popeyes chicken bone was a perfect match to DNA on the gun used to kill Timoshenko." Additionally, a witness said that Bostic didn't want to go back to jail just for gun possession (implying that's why he fired upon Timoshenko). When the slain cop's mother was asked if the verdict provided her with some sense of justice, Tatyana Timoshenko said, "For this case it does, but the previous one was disappointing." more ›

The jury deliberating the fate of Dexter Bostic, accused of shooting a police officer during a traffic stop in Brooklyn, found him guilty on all counts, including murder, today. On Wednesday, a jury found Bostic's friend, Robert Ellis, not guilty of murder, which shocked slain police officer Russel Timoshenko's family and colleagues. Bostic's lawyer said his client plans to appeal. A third defendant, Lee Woods, on trial (the three were tried together with three different juries) is awaiting his verdict. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg couldn't help but comment on the acquittal of Robert Ellis, who was on trial for the fatal shooting of police officer Russel Timoshenko (pictured). The Mayor said, "I don't want to criticize, but... inside I feel very strongly about it. There's something wrong here. A police officer [was] dedicating his life to protecting all of us. I found it very hard to understand how they could come up with the decision that they made." The Daily News' Errol Louis writes, "The jury's mind-boggling hair-splitting makes no sense." —Ellis was found guilty of weapons possession, yet not murder— "Some went overboard in venting their rage, like Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch, who referred to Ellis as a 'mongrel' after the verdict - an unfortunate display of the same dehumanizing impulse that leads criminals to fire on cops. The challenge for cops, activists, union bosses and the media is to resist the urge to let a single injustice define us." more ›

The jury deliberating the fate of Lillo Brancato Jr. told the judge they were deadlocked yesterday. The jury said, via a note, that their vote was 11 to 1; NY1 reports, "The judge re-read instructions on deliberation to the divided jury and advised the jurors to come back at 9:30 a.m. Friday to continue deliberating." Brancato faces murder charges for the 2005 shooting of off-duty police officer Daniel Enchautegui. Earlier yesterday, a juror was replaced—according to the Daily News, Marvin Gittens ignored the judge's directions and "took notes throughout the trial and researched the case on the internet." Another juror told the judge about Gittens' behavior. This the second juror to be replaced; two weeks ago, one left because he was arrested for "allegedly punching his teen-age stepson in the face." more ›

The jury deliberating the fate of former actor Lillo Brancato Jr. must start over, because one juror was removed. According to the AP, "It was discovered a juror had been taking notes during testimony and doing research on the case at home." Brancato is on trial for killing an off-duty police officer in the Bronx. Earlier today, it was reported that the jurors asked to review evidence, including a 911 the slain cop, Daniel Enchautegui, made before his death. The victim's sister said of Brancato, "You have no idea how much I'm sick of seeing that guy. I can't take this anymore. He's smiling and laughing." more ›

A jury acquitted a man of aggravated murder in the killing a police officer during a June 2007 traffic stop. The jury also found Robert Ellis not guilty of attempted murder (another cop was wounded) but he was found guilty on three counts of criminal possession of a weapon. more ›

The lawyer for Lillo Brancato Jr. says his client is "scared to death" about that verdict a jury will bring him. Brancato is facing murder charges in the 2005 killing of an off-duty police officer, who stopped Brancato and another man from breaking into a Bronx home. Though he didn't fire the gun, the former actor can be found guilty of murder if the jury believes he intended to rob the house. Defense lawyer Joseph Tacopina tried to emphasize during closing arguments that Brancato was just trying to rouse the homeowner, a friend (who had actually been dead for months), while the prosecution pointed out that Brancato's blood was found on a latex glove, indicating he was trying to break in. more ›

Lillo Brancato Jr., who had a few moments of fame when he starred in A Bronx Tale and appeared in episodes of The Sopranos, tried to explain to a jury that he was not responsible for the murder of an off-duty police officer three years ago. Instead, Brancato chalked up his actions to being "dope sick"—a real junkie that "even my hair was hurting." more ›

Opening arguments began in the murder trial of Lillo Brancato Jr., an actor who starred in A Bronx Tale and appeared in The Sopranos but found himself ensnared in a robbery gone wrong when an off-duty cop was shot. more ›

A jury delivered a guilty verdict for Steven Armento, a Yonkers man accused of killing an off-duty police officer in 2005. Armento had been trying to break into a Bronx home for drugs with friend, actor Lillo Brancato, when police officer Daniel Enchautegui intervened. more ›

took him to the shower room for no apparent reason. The Post reports she is being investigated for "undue familiarity" with Woods. more ›