Homicide: New York episode 2 shows only the tip of the frustration prosecutors felt in court.
They investigate the most brutal and difficult murders.
These are their stories.
Central Park was their neighborhood park.
Here is the full story, including the bits thatHomicide: New Yorkdidnt include.
How Were Daphne Abdela and Christopher Vasquez Caught?
The May 1997 stabbing death highlighted in episode 2, Central Park Slaying, was particularly brutal.
The head and hands were nearly severed from the body.
She represented herself as a witness, absolving herself by shifting the blame to Vasquez.
Defense attorneys can do that.
Who Was Defense Lawyer Benjamin Brafman?
Brafman also represented ex-film producer Harvey Weinstein, but ultimately parted ways.
The famously formidable attorney is known for celebrity clients, not particularly likable ones.
But you cant do it every time.
Shed already admitted instructing Vasquez to gut the body, and weigh it by stuffing it with rocks.
Daphne admitted to being at the scene of the murder, Butcher writes inWhat the Dead Know.
Hes a fatty, she was reported as saying.
She denied taking part in the murder herself.
Abdela was sentenced to 39 months to 10 years in prison.
Rumor circulated that her well-connected attorney pulled strings to drop the initial second-degree murder charge.
This was what Vasquez faced when his trial began in November 1998.
He was being blamed for all of it, but his defense rested on undisclosed details.
Did Daphne Abdela and Michael McMorrow Know Each Other?
McMorrow lived with his elderly mother at 93rd Street and Second Avenue.
Daphne had some Heineken with her she seemed keen to share.
Like a beer fairy, offering a bottle to a large, middle-age man.
She recognized him from rehab.
Nobody knows what the three talked about.
Nobody knows what provoked the murder.
The documentary says McMorrow followed the beer.
Slice was the word she had used.
She admitted she apparently challenged other people in the park to a fight.
That adds up to reasonable doubt.
Where Are Daphne Abdela and Christopher Vazquez Now?
Vasquezs lawyer, Arnold N. Kriss, accused Abdela of the murder and scapegoating his client.
Lead prosecutor Matthew Bogdanos objected because reports were sealed after Kriss dropped an earlier psychiatric defense.
The manslaughter verdict carried a 3- to 10-year prison term.
Jurors blamed the legal system.
Daphne Abdela and Christopher Vasquez both served nearly seven years in prison and were released in 2004.
The letter said Rest easy.
I tried to save you.
Im sorry I failed you.
Im sorry for the pain I caused you & your family.
Homicide: New York is now streaming on Netflix.
