A man indicted on a murder charge has reportedly been freed without bail, thanks to a Manhattan judge, while many New Yorkers support tougher bail laws.
The New York Post reported Thursday:
Eugene Clark was on parole when he was initially charged by cops with assault for the Sept. 20, 2020, pummeling of Ramon Luna, 67, who was knocked into a coma before dying from his injuries last August, police sources said.
Clark, 54, allegedly socked Luna in the head, causing the victim to fall to the ground and lose consciousness at the intersection of 125th Street and Lexington Avenue in Harlem, police sources said.
Clark and another person were also accused of going through the victim’s pockets.
Following the incident, Luna was transported to the hospital, where it was discovered he suffered brain bleeds, a criminal complaint said.
“Police busted Clark nine days after the brutal attack,” the Post report noted, adding he received a grand larceny charge and was later freed on bail regarding the initial charges.
Meanwhile, approximately two-thirds of voters in New York believe bail law needs to be changed to allow judges the discretion to “keep dangerous criminals off the streets,” a Sienna College survey released in February found.
Early last month, Clark was indicted for murder in the second degree, assault, two counts of robbery, and grand larceny.
Manhattan prosecutors later asked for Clark to be remanded without bail, however; Judge April Newbauer reportedly freed the suspect on his own recognizance.
“Clark, who will be screened for electronic monitoring, is due back in court on June 12,” the Post article continued. “Sources said Clark has an extensive criminal history dating back to 1983 for charges including robbery, gang assault and criminal sale of a controlled substance.”
Social media users responded to the Post article, one person writing, “They want all professional people out of the city. Why else would they be doing this? It’s going to get so bad, everyone will leave.”
“Same story for NYC. This is DeBlasio part 3. This is the reason criminals are more brazen, and the city is the worst it’s been since the 80s,” another commented.
According to the Post, Newbauer previously experienced backlash for not putting a woman behind bars who was eventually charged with murder.