NYC Judge Releases Gunman Who Shot Service Dog, Ignoring $150K Bail Request
Brooklyn judge Janice Robinson freed attempted murder suspect Adrian Benitez without bail after a Greenwood Heights shooting wounded a service dog.
Brooklyn Judge Frees Shooting Suspect Despite Prosecutors' Bail Demand
Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Janice Robinson released an alleged gunman without bail Tuesday after he was charged with attempted murder in connection with a broad daylight shooting in Greenwood Heights that wounded a service dog, the NY Post Metro reports.
Adrian Benitez, 29, was arraigned on charges of attempted murder and a range of other felonies following his arrest for a shooting that took place around 5:45 p.m. on Aug. 19 near Green-Wood Cemetery. Prosecutors in the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office had requested $150,000 bail. Robinson instead released Benitez on a promise to appear at his next court date, set for November 24, according to law enforcement sources.
During the incident, Benitez allegedly drew a handgun during an altercation with a man who had been speaking to a woman near the cemetery. The intended target was not struck, but a stray bullet hit Honey, a 7-year-old Labradoodle service dog belonging to Teresa Pezzolla, 64, who has Down syndrome.
"We're not talking about somebody who shoplifts shampoo from a drug store," one frustrated law enforcement source said Wednesday. "This is another individual with shots fired, charged with attempted murder, a bullet missing its intended target, luckily, only injuring an innocent dog. Does it have to be a child in a stroller next time?"
The same source added, "at least this judge is consistent."
In addition to the attempted murder charge, Benitez faces three counts of assault, criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment, and aggravated cruelty to animals. Authorities said he has no prior unsealed arrests.
Robinson's bail decisions drew scrutiny from the NY Post Metro in a report published Sunday, which found a consistent pattern of no or minimal bail in cases before her. Of 13 cases reviewed, eight defendants were released without bail — including two charged with attempted murder — while the remaining five posted low bail that was set within their means.
Robinson was elected to the bench in 2024 and began sitting in Brooklyn's civil court on Jan. 1, 2025, before being transferred to the criminal bench. She is a Brooklyn-born daughter of Jamaican immigrants and a Democrat. Prior to entering politics, Robinson spent approximately two decades as a lawyer for insurance companies. She holds degrees from Hofstra University and American University's law school.
She is also the niece of Nick Perry, a Democrat who represented parts of East Flatbush, Canarsie, and Brownsville in the state Assembly for nearly 30 years and later served briefly as U.S. ambassador to Jamaica.
The Office of Court Administration, which speaks on behalf of judges in New York State, did not respond to requests for comment ahead of Sunday's report. In an email Wednesday, OCA spokesman Al Baker declined to address the specific ruling.
"It is important to note, however, that the vast majority of bail decisions turn on the court's discretionary weighing of a broad range of factors in order to make an individualized assessment of the defendant's risk of flight to avoid prosecution," Baker said.
Source: NY Post Metro