An accused hit-and-run killer may be done in by one key, if not repulsive, piece of evidence – his own bag of rats.
Prosecutors revealed Monday at the start of the manslaughter trial for Julio Acevedo – who is charged with manslaughter for plowing into a livery cab and killing an R’ Nachman and Raizy Glauber and their unborn child - that a damning piece of evidence is a bag of frozen rats with his fingerprints on the outside that was found in the BMW he allegedly abandoned after the crash.
Acevedo, 46, faces life in prison for crashing at 70 miles per hour into the livery cab carrying the Glaubers to a hospital and then fleeing the Williamsburg scene without calling for help at about 12:30 a.m. in March 2013.
A law-enforcement source said the rats were intended for a pet boa constrictor Acevedo kept at home.
“They recovered a bag that contained live frozen rats,” assistant district attorney Tim Gough said in his opening statement.
“Four fingerprints from the bag of live frozen rats came back to this defendant.”
Gough also laid out how Acevedo cowardly fled the scene without calling police or an ambulance.
“In the blink of an eye, a young family was wiped out,” he told the jury.
“The driver of that BMW walked over to the Camry, looked inside, and walked away. He literally disappeared into the night … He left the occupants of that car there to die.”
Acevedo watched the proceedings impassively with his chin in his hands.
His DNA was also found on the airbag that deployed inside the BMW and he has said the crash was an “accident.”
Defense attorney Scott Brettschneider questioned the idea that a cab carrying a pregnant couple to a hospital so late at night would be driving slowly.
Raizel’s older brother was the first witness, describing how his wife tended to the prematurely delivered baby – who they named “Tanchem” – through the night and morning before he died.
“Do you blame the taxi driver for the death of your sister?” said assistant district attorney Gayle Dampf.
“No,” said a solemn Yosef Silberstein, 43.
“Who do you blame?” Dampf pressed.
“The driver of the BMW,” Yosef answered.
Acevedo has a long rap sheet dating back to 1987, including a bust for second-degree murder for the killing of the original 50 Cent.
In addition to the murder rap, Acevedo has two arrests for criminal possession of a controlled substance, reckless endangerment, robbery and even a DWI arrest from Feb. 17 of this year.
Because of his past arrests Acevedo faces life in prison if he’s convicted of manslaughter or leaving the scene of an accident.
{Matzav.com Newscenter}
