Photo by Stacie Joy
Peroza, 40, was also charged with two other attacks in the East Village on that night. This past Dec. 14, Peroza pleaded guilty in a New York State Supreme Court to three counts of Assault in the First Degree.
Here's more from Bragg's office:
According to court documents and statements made on the record, on January 31, 2023, at approximately 3 a.m., Peroza approached the 90-year-old owner of Ray's Candy Store, who was standing outside of the store on Avenue A. Peroza asked if the owner would purchase canned drinks from him, but the owner declined. As admitted in the defendant's guilty plea, Peroza then struck him in the head with a hard object, breaking his jaw, fracturing his facial bones and giving him a black eye.Approximately half an hour later, Peroza demanded money from a 33-year-old man as he left a deli on Avenue C. The man said he did not have money and, as admitted in his guilty plea, Peroza struck him in the face with a hard object, breaking his orbital bone and causing a severe laceration to his face.Several hours later, Peroza approached a 51-year-old man on Avenue B and, as admitted in his guilty plea, repeatedly struck the man in the head with a hard object, lacerating his face and head, knocking out a tooth, and fracturing his facial bones.
EVG was the first media outlet to report on the assault. The story later made headlines in the U.S. (via CNN) and the UK.
Following his arrest on Feb. 4, 2023, Peroza was described as "a career criminal," with 10 prior arrests dating to 2001 for robberies, assaults, criminal mischief and petit larceny, according to The Daily Mail.
The Daily News reported that Peroza served five years in prison after he was convicted of an assault in the Bronx in 2003. A source told the News that the suspect is "next-level crazy."
Police also arrested Peroza's alleged accomplice, 55-year-old Gerald Barth. As previously reported, Barth's erratic behavior earned him the nickname "Insanity Claus" in Tompkins Square Park after he donned a discarded SantaCon suit. He was charged with first-degree assault and two counts each of first-degree robbery and first-degree attempted robbery.
According to the DA's office, Barth was found unfit to stand trial. Last August, Barth was transferred from the Department of Corrections to the custody of the New York State Office of Mental Health. His case will move forward if/when he is found fit, per the DA's office.
With reporting by Stacie Joy
H/T Steven
Previously on EV Grieve:
10 comments:
A career criminal lock him up and throw away the key
Breaking anyone's facial bones, and particularly fracturing the orbital bone, is the mark of an extremely vicious attack, one that the attacker would have been quite willing to have result in homicide.
IMO, the charge in any & all such cases should be attempted murder. Just ask ER personnel and neurologists what's it's like to have a patient who's had their bones broken that way. Or ask a victim, like Ray, about the level of agony he experienced, and how long it took to heal.
Wow. Someone was actually held
accountable. How refreshing.
So. Are we going to cool it with the proto-fascist "no one ever gets punished for their crimes!" talk around here?
This is good news the criminal justice system actually worked for a change. I hope this guy does the full 10 years in prison and no early release for good behavior or parole or anything like that. The public needs to be kept safe from guys like this.
Wonderful news. Justice for Ray. Hooray!
Gerald Barth is, I think, a known sad story--he's a Willowbrook survivor, and it's not surprising he's been found unfit. But what was Peroza's story? Three savage beatings of strangers in a short span of time and didn't even steal anything.
Can't wait for the Looney Left to stage an anti-prison protest for this scumbag.
Thankfully, the system worked justice for these three victims
justice served. Long live Ray!!❤
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