Charges? Hell, I'd buy him a beer . . .

I note with displeasure that a New York man is facing charges for defending his wife against the attack of a career criminal.

Bronx cabby Mamadou ­Diallo was looking for a parking spot outside his building when he got a call from his wife that filled him with shock and fury.

She said a stranger had just tried to rape her in their apartment — and was still upstairs.

Diallo grabbed a tire iron and did what most husbands in the same situation would do: He rushed to his wife’s aid and then bludgeoned the pervert.

The attack killed career criminal Earl Nash, 43 — and left Diallo facing assault and weapons charges Tuesday.

. . .

Surveillance footage shows Mamadou walk past Nash, but wheel around when Nenegale pointed him out as the attacker.

The enraged husband swung the weapon at Nash — driving him into the elevator. He followed with several more blows, in a beating that lasted up to two minutes, sources said.

Nash fought back with a belt, but the pounding left him with a fractured skull, sources said.

Emergency responders rushed Nash, who also had severe body trauma, to Lincoln Hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Diallo was initially charged with manslaughter by cops, but during his arraignment at Bronx Criminal Court, the charges were dropped to two counts of assault, harassment and criminal possession of a weapon.

“This was not an offense where the defendant committed an aggressive act,” defense attorney Anthony Michaels said. “This was an attack on his family, in his house under extreme circumstances.”

At the hearing, which was attended by more than a dozen members of Diallo’s family and mosque, prosecutors didn’t ask for bail, and instead said they would agree to whatever Judge Julio Rodriguez thought was best. He released Diallo on his own recognizance.

There's more at the link.

I know there are some who will argue that the husband's response was excessive;  that the assault on his wife had already ceased, and that therefore he should have let the police handle the situation.  To that I can only say that where I now live, the defense of "He needed killing!" is very widely recognized by both the law enforcement officers and agencies, and the citizens of the region - so much so that if the husband were facing those charges down here, not only would he be virtually guaranteed an acquittal in court, but the District Attorney who dared to bring such charges would probably be voted out of office at the very next opportunity.  Charges, indeed!




Peter