Mom Indicted for Gassing Kids

BRONX, NEW YORK, July 13- District Attorney Robert T. Johnson announced that a grand jury has indicted Lisette Bamenga for allegedly murdering her two young children.

Bamenga, 29, of 1500 Noble Avenue, the Bronx, has been indicted on one count of murder in the first degree, and two counts of murder in the second degree in the deaths of 3-month-old Violet Noel and 4-year-old Tevor Noel. 

Murder in the first degree is a Class A-1 felony offense punishable by a maximum sentence of up to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole if convicted. Murder in the second degree is punishable by a maximum sentence of up to 25 years to life imprisonment on each count if convicted.

It is alleged in court papers that Bamenga caused the deaths of her children by “feeding them windshield wiper fluid, mixed with grape juice, then drowning them in a bath tub, and then confining them in a closed kitchen area while turning on the gas.”

The alleged crimes occurred at the defendant’s home on July 5, 2012. Bamenga remains hospitalized and is being held without bail.

Class Act

Axelbank family and Monroe College Foundation partner in awards to students

BRONX, NEW YORK, July 13- The family of Eli Axelbank, who was a principal at the former James Monroe HS, has joined forces with the Monroe College Foundation in scholarship awards for graduates of the Monroe Academy for Visual Art and Design (MAVAD) and the Monroe Academy for Business and Law (MABL).

Represented by Gary Axelbank, one of Eli’s three sons who is the BronxTalk television host, the Axelbank family has presented the award to students at the Monroe Academies (no relation to the college) at their graduations since his passing in 1982.

“Our family has done this for 30 years because my father’s legacy as an educator, a father, and a community leader is worth passing on to future generations,” Gary Axelbank said. “So we select students who have achieved not only in the classroom, but also in their communities.”

Eli Axelbank’s widow, Mickey, and the families of Arthur and Jeffrey Axelbank also contribute to the award. Long-time educator, Tom Porton, who was a colleague of Eli Axelbank, administrates the award on behalf of the high schools and the Axelbank family.

The MAVAD winner this year is Carmen Cancel who was a four-year member of the leadership class, the captain of the school’s blood drive, and on the senior council. She also fed the homeless, was in the art club, and worked with senior citizens.

The MABL award winner is Carlos Gonzalez who was a four-year basketball player, a member of the senior council and year book committee, and worked at feeding the homeless.

To help commemorate the decades of support the Axelbank family has provided, this year the Monroe College Foundation broadened the scope of the award with a scholarship to help the students pay for their college education.

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Tat’s Alot!

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Tat’s Alot!: Rape Suspect’s Tattoo of Own Name Led Cops to Arrest By Dan Gesslein BRONX, NEW YORK, July 13- Was it his tat that gave him ...

Tat’s Alot!

Rape Suspect’s Tattoo of Own Name Led Cops to Arrest

By Dan Gesslein

BRONX, NEW YORK, July 13- Was it his tat that gave him away? Police arrested a man they say raped a visiting North Carolina woman. Tips led to an arrest after surveillance video of the incident showed the suspect had his name tattooed on his shoulder.

Investigators say the suspect acted as a tour guide and instead of simply helping the tourist find her hotel he sexually assaulted her.

Police arrested 27-year-old Ivan Jones based on a tip after surveillance video from the hotel was released. In the surveillance video cops noticed that the suspect had the name “Ivan” tattooed on his right shoulder as well as “Tiffany” inked on the inside of his left forearm. 

Investigators say the sex fiend targeted his victim while they were riding on a Bronx-bound subway car. On July 11, cops say the victim had engaged the suspect while on a Bronx-bound subway train at East 14th and Union Square. According to published reports the 33-year-old woman had asked the man for directions in the Bronx. He told her he was going the same way and he ended up escorting the woman from the Bronx subway stop to the Howard Johnson Express Inn on Boston Road.

At her hotel room at around 4 a.m., the woman heard a knock on her door. Once she opened the door, the man pushed his way inside the room. Cops say he choked and raped the woman. Then he bound her and stole $50, the victim’s cell phone and a pair of earrings. 

Jones was charged with rape, strangulation and assault.

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Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Cop Wanted to ‘Whack’ Witness

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Cop Wanted to ‘Whack’ Witness: Samsung 8GB Galaxy Tab 2 Wi-Fi Tablet - GT-P3113TSYXAR Sony 16GB Wi-Fi Tablet S - SGPT111US/S Jury charges cop with trying to hire hit...

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Cop Wanted to ‘Whack’ Witness

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Cop Wanted to ‘Whack’ Witness: Samsung 8GB Galaxy Tab 2 Wi-Fi Tablet - GT-P3113TSYXAR Sony 16GB Wi-Fi Tablet S - SGPT111US/S Jury charges cop with trying to hire hit...

Cop Wanted to ‘Whack’ Witness

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Jury charges cop with trying to hire hit man to kill witness

BRONX, NEW YORK, July 12- District Attorney Robert T. Johnson and New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly announced that Police Officer Jose Ramos and his wife Wanda Abreu have been charged in a new indictment with conspiring to hire a “hit” man to murder a witness in a criminal case against Ramos.  

In the indictment unsealed, the grand jury charged Ramos,43,and Abreu,39, with three counts of conspiracy in the second degree, a Class B felony offense, and one count of criminal solicitation in the second degree, a Class D felony offense. Conspiracy in the second degree, the most serious of the charges, is punishable by a maximum sentence of up to 25 years imprisonment if convicted.

The charges in this indictment are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The defendants were arraigned before State Supreme Court Justice Steven Barrett who ordered that Ramos be remanded pending disposition of these charges. Bail for Abreu was set at $100,000 cash or $500,000 bond. The judge was told that in addition to allegedly attempting to have a witness killed, the defendants had also tried to persuade another witness to lie, and had planned to set up an alibi by arranging to be out of state in Texas when the “hit” was carried out.

It is alleged in court papers that from September 15, 2011 until May 7, 2012, the defendants attempted to arrange the contract killing through face to face meetings and telephone calls, some of which were recorded at a detention facility on Rikers Island, where Ramos is awaiting trial.   

Ramos has been charged with numerous offenses in six other indictments, the most serious of which stemmed from NYPD sting operations in which he allegedly attempted to transport large quantities of heroin from the Bronx to Brooklyn, steal money from purported drug dealers, and commit a robbery while on duty. 

Wanda Abreu was also charged with Ramos in one of those indictments for allegedly filing a fraudulent insurance claim. Until these new charges were filed today, Abreu had been released on her own recognizance. Bail for Ramos in connection with last October’s indictments remains set at $500,000 cash or $5,000,000 bond. 

District Attorney Johnson and Commissioner Kelly thanked the New York City Department of Investigation and the members of their respective staffs for the hard work and dedication that resulted in the indictment announced today.