On Thursday, police announced the arrest of the homeless woman accused in the pickpocket robbery of a guy who had just been run over by a construction truck in Manhattan.
According to police and law enforcement officials, Geniece Draper, 40, was charged with grand larceny for the gruesome incident that was caught on camera last week.
Woman Pickpocketed Dead Man in New York
Draper was apprehended by transit officers after they recognized her at the 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue subway station in Manhattan, according to a tweet by NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell. Draper has a long criminal history.
At the time of her arrest, sources claim that she carried what seemed to be a crack pipe in her jacket. The victim, who was struck by a tractor-trailer on October 6 as he crossed Eighth Avenue at West 44th Street, was also officially identified by police on Thursday, NY Post reported.
Jerome Smith, 62-year-old , seemed to be homeless, according to sources. Without his wallet, police had to rely on dental records to try to identify him; they eventually succeeded, according to sources, by utilizing fingerprints. Draper said she was merely returning money that had been taken from her as she was leaving court.
He robbed me first, Draper said. She claimed to have dated Smith before he swindled $120 from her at an ATM. She said that she didn't use any credit cards and that since the money was hers to begin with, she didn't consider what she done to be theft.
Suspect Freed Without Bail
Law enforcement authorities said that Draper had a lengthy criminal past extending back to 2007. The majority of her arrests were for suspected drug use, prostitution, and small-time theft, as per Fox News.
On Friday, Draper was charged with attempting to use the deceased man's money but being denied because it was stained with blood. According to a Manhattan criminal complaint, Draper admitted to authorities that she had a passing acquaintance with Smith.
The 2019 law, which prohibited persons accused of misdemeanors and some non-violent felonies from being held on cash bond in an effort to ensure that a person's wealth should not determine their liberty, was the reason Draper was released without bail.
Per Daily Mail, the statute requires judges to concentrate only on the requirements that will guarantee that the person returns to court when determining whether to release a person or set bail. As a result, unlike in the majority of other states, judges in New York are not allowed to set release conditions based on their assessment of a person's "dangerousness." Critics claim that the change has increased the danger in New York City.
The rule, according to its proponents, puts an end to the common practice of locking up a poor person for months while they wait for a hearing after jumping a turnstile, while allowing a wealthy alleged rapist to stay at large until their trial.
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