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NYC Tenants Acquittted in 'Black Sunday' Firefighter Deaths
By COLLEEN LONG
Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --Two tenants were acquitted Friday of creating a deadly maze of illegal walls in their apartment building, forcing two firefighters responding to a blaze to jump to their deaths.
Caridad Coste and Rafael Castillo had faced manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and other charges that could have resulted in up to 15 years in prison. A second jury continued deliberations later Friday on similar charges against the building's former and current owners.
The courtroom was packed with uniformed firefighters and the widows of the victims when the verdicts were read.
"New York City firefighters are disgusted that our safety has been so easily disregarded in this case," said Steve Cassidy, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association. He called the acquittals "an absolute disgrace."
Six firefighters were trapped in the building on Jan. 23, 2005. Two of them, Lt. Curtis Meyran and firefighter John Bellew, died after jumping from a fourth-floor window. Two others who jumped survived.
After the verdicts were read, widow Eileen Bellew put her head in her hands and sobbed.
Jeanette Meyran, looking stoic and wearing her husband's firefighter jacket, said she didn't want to stay for the second jury because she anticipated another acquittal.
"It's unbelievable," she said. "You can't just do what you want because then you put people in harm's way. And for what? More money? There was no doubt that those walls led to his death."
Coste and Castillo were accused of illegally subdividing their apartments to make bedrooms for renters. Firefighters testified during the trial that the shoddy construction made the building a deathtrap.
With flames licking at their bodies and black smoke making it nearly impossible to see, four firefighters jumped from a fourth-floor window including Meyran, 46, and Bellew, 37.
The case highlighted the persistent fire hazard of using temporary walls for illegal apartment conversions _ a common problem in a city where rents are high and space is always in demand.
Coste wept with joy after the verdict, and her attorney showed off thin ropes that he said would have saved the firefighters had they been distributed.
"I feel for them," she said of the firefighters' families. "Because they were defending us. But we aren't to blame for a lack of water or freezing temperatures that made getting water impossible, or that they didn't have ropes."
Castillo said of the firefighters: "They are heroes. And I know what happened was a tragedy. But it was not our fault. It is a shame."
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --Two tenants were acquitted Friday of creating a deadly maze of illegal walls in their apartment building, forcing two firefighters responding to a blaze to jump to their deaths.
Caridad Coste and Rafael Castillo had faced manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and other charges that could have resulted in up to 15 years in prison. A second jury continued deliberations later Friday on similar charges against the building's former and current owners.
The courtroom was packed with uniformed firefighters and the widows of the victims when the verdicts were read.
"New York City firefighters are disgusted that our safety has been so easily disregarded in this case," said Steve Cassidy, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association. He called the acquittals "an absolute disgrace."
Six firefighters were trapped in the building on Jan. 23, 2005. Two of them, Lt. Curtis Meyran and firefighter John Bellew, died after jumping from a fourth-floor window. Two others who jumped survived.
After the verdicts were read, widow Eileen Bellew put her head in her hands and sobbed.
Jeanette Meyran, looking stoic and wearing her husband's firefighter jacket, said she didn't want to stay for the second jury because she anticipated another acquittal.
"It's unbelievable," she said. "You can't just do what you want because then you put people in harm's way. And for what? More money? There was no doubt that those walls led to his death."
Coste and Castillo were accused of illegally subdividing their apartments to make bedrooms for renters. Firefighters testified during the trial that the shoddy construction made the building a deathtrap.
With flames licking at their bodies and black smoke making it nearly impossible to see, four firefighters jumped from a fourth-floor window including Meyran, 46, and Bellew, 37.
The case highlighted the persistent fire hazard of using temporary walls for illegal apartment conversions _ a common problem in a city where rents are high and space is always in demand.
Coste wept with joy after the verdict, and her attorney showed off thin ropes that he said would have saved the firefighters had they been distributed.
"I feel for them," she said of the firefighters' families. "Because they were defending us. But we aren't to blame for a lack of water or freezing temperatures that made getting water impossible, or that they didn't have ropes."
Castillo said of the firefighters: "They are heroes. And I know what happened was a tragedy. But it was not our fault. It is a shame."
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Doug on
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This just opens up a flood gate of tenants and Sups doing whatever they please to their apartments now, without any repercussions....all over the country. There goes our pre-planning.
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Permalink Reply by John on
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Aint that the truth, what will end up happening I fear is that we will all start treating multi family structure fires as defensive attacks regardless, and just write off the property due to the Verdict today. With the tenants and sups being allowed to do whatever they want, it's going to end up where we will not take a chance on losing any body else in a fire.
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Permalink Reply by Buddha on
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Hey, not to worry. Come summer time, we will be remembered with the annual parade and reminders of what "heros" we are. Then, we will again fade from the public eye until the next batch of senseless FF and civilian deaths. I guess what they taught us in training is true, we can only count on each other...
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I hope they die a miserable fiery death where they build more illegal rooms and the fireman cant get to them
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Permalink Reply by Robin Inman on
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This kind of stuff makes me mad as hell! It also makes me want to cry for our fallen brothers and their families. Where did they find these jurors who quite obviously have no gray matter between their ears??!! We've had other discussions about who we would save if we only had a choice of saving one person, would it be a brother or sister fire fighter or a civilian? I've always felt our brother or sister fire fighter but this really brings that point home....civilians aren't going to look out for us or our families so we have to make sure we take care of each other first and foremost. I know it won't ever happen but those jurors have just made themselves criminally liable in my mind.
The only thing we can hope for now since the wonderful justice system has shown just how unjustice like they really are....is that the insurance companies (which can be pretty slimy also) will tell these building owners and tenants that because they were a direct cause of the fire that they will get NO insurance money and this will be a total loss for them.......the victims families need to remember also that it may be worth going after these people in civil court. It seems easier to get a civil monetary conviction than a criminal conviction. And now that the wonderfully smart (no gray matter) jury has spoken, it seems the only way to make these people responsible is to go after their checkbooks!
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Permalink Reply by Dennis Brown on
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Well its the old saying money talks bull shit walks but i hope there is a change in the systum soon befor the next ff life gets taking away by greed
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