by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE, Jan 17 – For a murder in Hunts Point in the South Bronx in 2016, Bruce Morris is on trial before U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Jesse M. Furman. Inner City Press is covering it, as it has covered Hunts Point and The Bronx.
On January 14, the Bronx Homicide detective who caught the case was on the witness stand, followed by the superintendent of the building at 848 Faile Avenue, who said he saw Morris with a gun.
The prosecutors put into the record the grand jury transcript of Morris' brother, represented by Federal Defenders, repeatedly invoking his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. Morris has four CJA lawyers.
One of them wrote in dated January 10 (but not docketed until January 16, amid the charge conference) that "Witness-3 has a strong motive to curry favor with the government because he may hope that his assistance in helping to secure a murder conviction will shield him from prosecution for his own drug crimes."
On January 17 after the jury instruction, the jury sent a note. Judge Furman told the parties to propose answers, on what they must find on conspiracy, and file them by noon - on MLK Day.
The case is USA v. Morris, 1:24-cr-358 (Furman)
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