https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/05/nyregion/ms-13-long-island.htmlA new story on the bail reform law in NYC
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In October 2018, Wilmer Maldonado Rodriguez stepped in to protect two boys who were being threatened by members of the MS-13 gang on Long Island, officials said. In return, the gang members stabbed Mr. Rodriguez repeatedly and hit him in the head with a bat.
Despite the vicious assault, Mr. Rodriguez agreed to testify against the gang members, who were charged with assault and witness intimidation as a result of the attack, officials said.
On Sunday, Mr. Rodriguez was found beaten to death, and by Wednesday, his killing became a flash point for opponents of a series of criminal justice changes enacted by the New York State Legislature in 2019 at the urging of progressive lawmakers.
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The murder came several weeks after a judge ordered prosecutors to disclose Mr. Rodriguez’s identity to lawyers who represented his alleged attackers, as called for by revisions to the discovery process generally requiring that such information be shared within 15 days of a first court appearance. New York previously let prosecutors wait until the eve of trial to turn over the material.
Madeline Singas, the Nassau County district attorney, said that being forced to identify Mr. Rodriguez well before trial had hampered the authorities’ ability to protect him — ultimately costing him his life.
“This courageous man was prepared to testify against alleged assailants at an upcoming trial, but he was brutally beaten to death before he could,” Ms. Singas said in a statement, adding that the case “underscores the importance of safeguarding the identities of witnesses and victims of crimes.”
The state used to protect witnesses in trials against gangs.
Now the new discovery law mandates that gang members be told the name and address of any potential witness against them, long before trial.
This will send a pretty clear message to anyone who even
thinks about being a witness in new york anymore. The state will collaborate with MS13 to assassinate you. You won't be protected, they will give your name to the people who want to murder you. You agree to testify, you're fucking dead. Nothing can save you when you need to stick around the city for the trial but have to survive months without witness protection.
Congratulations NY state, you passed a law that is killing heroes.