Specifically, the defense lawyer, Hannah Kaplan of the Legal Aid Society,Online Cigarettes Store USA has said in hearings that one of the detectives badgered and yelled at the teenager. The detective also introduced the idea of the knife into the conversation even though the 13-year-old had not mentioned a knife, Kaplan said.
Beyond the 13-year-old’s statements, police have footage from security cameras of the teens leaving the park and one grainy video of the attack, according to the detectives’ testimony in two previous hearings. They have yet to locate the murder weapon.
The Legal Aid Society has also sought to undermine the credibility of one of the detectives Newport 100s Box involved in the investigation, Wilfred Acevedo, pointing out that he has been sued several times over allegations of misconduct, including false arrest, making false accusations and withholding evidence helpful to a defendant.
None of the allegations were proved at trial, but the city settled some of the lawsuits out of court. The lawsuits were reported in Gothamist.
“These allegations of a pattern of serious misconduct cast further doubt on the case against Cheap Newport 100s cigarettes our client, and given Acevedo’s long problematic history of violating New Yorkers’ constitutional rights, he simply cannot be regarded as credible,” the Legal Aid Society said in a statement.