Friday, January 27, 2023

Indictment announced against suspect who allegedly murdered James Cunningham on Avenue A last month

A memorial for James Cunningham on Avenue A 

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg yesterday announced the indictment of Roland Codrington, who's accused of stabbing and killing two men last month in two separate incidents, including 51-year-old James Cunningham on Avenue A on Dec. 19. 

Here's more via the DA's office
Codrington is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with two counts of Murder in the Second Degree, two counts of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, one count of Assault in the First Degree, one count of Attempted Assault in the First Degree, one count of Assault in the Second Degree, one count of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree and Possession of a Stolen Vehicle. 
"Roland Codrington allegedly wreaked havoc across the city in a crime spree that left two dead," Bragg said in a statement "Manhattanites deserve to live their daily lives without the fear of being attacked." 
According to court documents and statements made on the record, on December 19, 2022, Mr. Cunningham left a bar in the East Village and Codrington approached Mr. Cunningham outside the bar. Codrington pulled out a knife and slashed Mr. Cunningham in the neck, leaving him bleeding. Mr. Cunningham was pronounced dead at the hospital. in two separate incidents. 

Per media reports, Codrington has 12 prior arrests, including in connection with auto-related crimes in 2022. "In 2021, he was charged with assault with a weapon. Codrington was charged in connection with two assaults with a weapon in 2017," PIX11 reported.

Early on Dec. 19, Cunningham had just left the bar Spike's at 218 Avenue A between 13th Street and 14th Street around 1 a.m. when he bumped into Codrington on the street. 

Video footage at the scene, police officials said, shows the two men arguing for about 20 seconds before Codrington is seen slashing Cunningham with a knife. NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said the two men had no prior connection before Dec. 19. 

Police officials said that the same knife was used in a violent rampage in which Codrington also allegedly killed a doctor in Marcus Garvey Park and assaulted several other people before his arrest on Christmas Eve. 

The Daily News reported that Cunningham was a regular at Spike's ... "who often came into the bar to order a seltzer or soda, never drank alcohol but instead used the bar as a community center." 

One EVG commenter had this to say about Cunningham: "He was my friend for 35 years and was the best type of person. James would have given the last of anything he had so another wouldn't have to go without."

2 comments:

  1. As much as I'd like to support full prison abolition, there are some truly bad guys out there who need to be kept away from society. Of course, the vast majority of people in prison aren't this kind of person. But a man in his 40s(?) just running around (allegedly)
    beating up and slaughtering strangers over multiple days because he can't keep his temper...yeah. I don't know what else we do with a guy like that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I would love to know an update. Has this man gone to trial yet?

    ReplyDelete

Your remarks and lively debates are welcome, whether supportive or critical of the views herein. Your articulate, well-informed remarks that are relevant to an article are welcome.

However, commentary that is intended to "flame" or attack, that contains violence, racist comments and potential libel will not be published. Facts are helpful.

If you'd like to make personal attacks and libelous claims against people and businesses, then you may do so on your own social media accounts. Also, comments predicting when a new business will close ("I give it six weeks") will not be approved.