Source: The New York Times
They arrived early, an hour before the judge started hearing cases on Thursday, taking up much of a long bench in the Queens courtroom. They were family members of Oscar Morel, the man charged with first-degree murder in the execution-style attack on an imam and his assistant on a sidewalk on Saturday afternoon.
The relatives had come to support Mr. Morel as he returned to Queens Criminal Court, facing charges that carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole for an attack that has stirred fear and anger among Muslims in New York.
His family members called out to him during the brief hearing, telling him, “Love you, Oscar,” even though they were chastised by the judge. Mr. Morel, who turned 36 on Thursday, acknowledged them with a nod.
The relatives declined to talk to reporters. But as his father, who declined to give his name, walked out of the courthouse supported by two relatives, he said in halting English, “He don’t do it.”
On Saturday, the authorities said, Mr. Morel approached the imam,Alauddin Akonjee, 55, and his assistant, Thara Miah, 64, from behind near the intersection of Liberty Avenue and 79th Street in the Ozone Park neighborhood, and then shot them both in the head.
Mr. Morel, who worked as a janitor, was taken into police custody on Sunday night, and has been charged with a single count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder.
Police officials said that investigators found a weapon, a .38-caliber revolver that tests showed was used in the killings, hidden inside a wall in his apartment, as well as clothes of Mr. Morel’s that fit the description of what the gunman was believed to have worn during the attack. There was also video evidence connecting Mr. Morel to the scene, officials said.
Categories: America, Hate Crime, Muslims, The Muslim Times, USA
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