An NYPD officer who was accused in 2014 of breaking into a woman's home in his boxers and assaulting her, just hours after being honored with the NYPD's second-highest achievement medal, made the case in court last month that he was sleepwalking—not intoxicated—when he broke down the woman's door, allegedly struck her 20 times, and quaffed milk from her refrigerator.
Now the Post has acquired "damning" surveillance footage of 27-year-old Eugene Donnelly running about in his boxers near the entrance of a Bronx apartment building, performing complex tasks like bounding up and down stairs, opening and closing doors, and even pressing apartment buzzers. According to the tabloid, the footage was taken around 5:45 on the morning of June 10, 2014, right after Donnelly allegedly assaulted a woman inside. He's since been charged with misdemeanor assault and burglary.
According to a preliminary investigation, Donnelly decided to crash at a friend's Woodlawn apartment the night of his award ceremony, and at some point strayed in his boxers, ultimately mistaking the victim's apartment for his friend's. While sources told the Daily News at the time that Donnelly had been out drinking that night, his attorney told reporters that his own report shows "that it wasn't an alcoholic blackout. It was sleepwalking," adding that his client suffers from PTSD.
Donnelly's alleged victim later testified in court that he pounced on her bed in his underwear, beat her, and went for the fridge before fleeing. According to a police report from that night, Donnelly allegedly said to the woman, "Shhh, It's OK. Just put a shirt on," and then, "Sometimes I'm a good guy, but sometimes I'm a bad guy."
According to the experts at Sleepwalking Education, somnambulists can handle pretty advanced motor skills:
Sleepwalking occurs when you get up from bed and walk around even though you are still asleep. It can also involve a series of other complex actions. Before walking, you might sit up in bed and look around in a confused manner. At other times, individuals may bolt from the bed and walk or run away. They may be frantic to escape from a threat that they dreamed or imagined.
You might talk or shout as you are walking. Your eyes are usually open and have a confused, “glassy” look to them. You might begin doing routine daily actions that are not normally done at night.
More often, it involves actions that are crude, strange, or in the wrong place. This might include urinating in a trash can, moving furniture around, or climbing out of a window. It can also result in hostile and violent behavior.
Donnelly's lawyer Michael Marinaccio told the Post his client was "obviously awakened" by the time he ran into the frame (though he is upholding that Donnelly was sleepwalking during the assault). What say you?
