Man on Trial for Robbing Busking Cellist Waited in Hall Now Guilty July 24 Sentencing

Man on Trial for Robbing Busking Cellist Waited in Hall Now Guilty July 24 Sentencing by Matthew & Russell Lee, Patreon Substack SDNY COURTHOUSE, June 8 – A man charged with robbing a busking cellist in New York's Herald Square subway station is on trial in 100 Centre Street before Justice Robert M. Mandelbaum.     On June 4 his lawyer cross examined the arresting police officer about the value of things stolen, including the busker's amplifier. Inner City Press was there and live tweeted:  Defense lawyer: So, in the cello case, there was $350 in cash?  NYPD Officer: Yes. Defense: And the cello, and an amp worth $900? NYPD Officer: Yes. [The cellist was part of the MTAs official music program]  Now video of the defendant, handcuffed, at the desk in the MTA police station in Columbus Circle station. Officer counts the cash dramatically in front of a stationary camera  Defense ends cross; no re-direct. Witness, last of the day, leaves.  Then a juror asks: Can I bring my skateboard with me tomorrow? Judge: They will probably voucher it. They do not want people riding in the hallway.  Jurors file directly out -- then one was called in. He works at Mount Sinai and may have - that is, cannot rule out having - worked with the doctor who treated the victim. Either way, he said, he can be fair.    Update: on June 8, as the jury deliberated after asking for CCTV videos, the defendant sat alone in the otherwise empty 15th floor hallway. Near 5, his lawyer arrived and offered a soda. Inside, Justice Mandelbaum told the jurors they could go for the day, and that on Tuesday he cannot answer their questions or take their verdict until at earliest 2 pm. Did they want to come in at 10 am or later? Noon, they decided. It seemed that they were close. And they were - on June 9, he was found guilty, and sentencing set for July 24. *** Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a month helps keep us going and grants you access to exclusive bonus material on our Patreon page. Click here to become a patron. Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com Mail: Box 130222, Chinatown Station, NY NY 10013 Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.  Copyright 2006-2026 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com