By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
SDNY COURTHOUSE, April 26 – Edwin Cortorreal is charged with murdering Kelly Diaz in an apartment in Washington Height on October 27, 2006. On April 17, 2023, his trial began. Inner City Press was there.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Valerie E. Caproni is presiding over the trial, 9:30 am to 5 pm, she said. From Day 1:
OK - now murder trial US v Cortorreal for allegedly killing Kelly Diaz, and RICO. Many prosecutors here for opening arguments.
AUSA: Cortorreal shot Mr Kelly Diaz in the face. You will hear from 3 cooperators. They robbed people too. 2 pled guilty to murder, the murder of Kelly Diaz.
Defense lawyer: My client pled guilty to robberies. He served his time and was deported. He was brought back to face this murder charge. You'll hear from a childhood friend of Diaz who set him up, then got a cooperator's deal
As soon as openings are over, 8 prosecutors leave the courtroom. First witness is Ms Jamel Duran, 39, Kelly Diaz's wife. His photo in a red turtleneck sweater is received in evidence.
Jamel Duran testifies that Kelly Diaz before being shot yelled something - in English, she did not understand it. Nor did she see the face of the shooter.
Next witness is in MDC beige and leg irons, Albert Bonilla a/k/a Alski & Biggie. Jailed 5 years so far.
Bonilla: Crazy Ed [Cortorreal] did the murder. He used to buy weed from me on 181st Street.
After the trial day, Inner City Press checked the docket. For Albert Bonilla, it is dozens of "SEALED DOCUMENT place in the vault" entries, with former AUSA asking off the case.
On Apri 18 a second cooperator was on the stand, Medina. He has been detained almost six years, in the MCC and MDC. In the former, he admits to using illegal cell phones. The defense emphasized that he hadn't disclosed his early cell phone use, nor a stabbing at a movie theater, to the prosecution. On re-direct he testified he only called his mother and his girlfriend, and had not been the one doing the stabbing.
But hadn't Medina pled guilty to "Crazy Ed's" shooting of Kelly Diaz, for being part of the group or conspiracy? The point may have been lost on the jury.
On April 19, yet another cooperator, this one dressed in the yellow prison jumpsuit of the Essex County Correctional Facility. He repeated most questions back, with a question mark, then asked for them to be repeated. Did he remember, while on supervised release, robbing a body shop? A body shop? Maybe a mechanics shop with a travel agency inside it.
Then NYC's Chief Medical Examiner Jason Grimm, who did Kelly Diaz' autopsy in 2006: he was shot through the hand and brain, by a bullet with no metal jacket. There was no cross examination.
On April 24 another medical witness for the government, testifying about DNA. But she admitted a clerical error with the alleles, and showed a report of correction. Beyond a reasonable doubt?
Apparently yes. On April 26: "EDWIN CORTORREAL, a/k/a “Crazy Ed,” was found guilty of all three counts at trial, including conspiracy to commit racketeering and two counts for robbing and murdering Kelly Diaz in 2006 in Washington Heights. The verdict followed a five-day trial before U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni."
The case is US v. Nunez, et al., 17-cr-438 (Caproni)
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