Two accused murderers spent Christmas behind bars while their cases remained pending in Suffolk County Criminal Court in Riverhead.
Joseph A. Grippo, who police say killed a man with a pickax in Montauk’s Kirk Park in June, hopes to build a defense alleging that someone else murdered Robert Casado. Dan Russo, Mr. Grippo’s court-appointed attorney, said he is waiting for the district attorney’s office to turn over all its evidence, including reports from CrimeStoppers, a program that offers rewards for information leading to an arrest. He believes at least one report indicates another man could be responsible.
“Obviously, I want that,” Mr. Russo said.
Mr. Grippo was arrested on June 20, a few weeks after Mr. Casado, 38, was beaten and stabbed in the park, on a pathway that runs between Main Street and Second House Road. He was found at about 7:10 a.m. on June 6. Prosecutors said the man had been ambushed in the park over a woman both men were interested in.
It was the first murder in the Town of East Hampton in a decade and the first in Montauk in 22 years.
A grand jury indicted Mr. Grippo, who has a felony record, on a second-degree murder charge. He pleaded not guilty; his lawyer told Judge Stephen Braslow that Mr. Grippo had been at work on the day of the murder.
Five court dates have been adjourned while Mr. Russo awaits discovery or evidence from the D.A. It has been a slow process, he said at Mr. Grippo’s last court date on Dec. 18. New York State’s criminal justice reform law, which will take effect on Jan. 1, includes an overhaul of the discovery process; it will now be mandatory for the prosecution to hand over evidence within 15 days of an arraignment, a move that will be burdensome on police departments throughout the state.
Mr. Grippo was taken to court from the county jail on Dec. 18, but did not appear before the judge. The case was adjourned until Jan. 24, 2020.
Meanwhile, Tenia Campbell, the Medford mother accused of killing her twin daughters, whose bodies were found in Montauk, strapped in their car seats in her minivan on June 27, also remains behind bars. The now 25-year-old, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a teenager, reportedly admitted in a recorded conversation with her mother that she killed the 2-year-old girls, Jasmine and Jaida Campbell.
Prosecutors say Ms. Campbell suffocated her daughters, though they have not yet said when, where, or how. She was indicted on two counts of the top charge, first-degree murder.
While her attorney, John Halverson, entered a not-guilty plea on her behalf, he has been working on a psychiatric defense. At her last scheduled court appearance on Friday, he said he was still waiting for reports from doctors and facilities where Ms. Campbell has previously been treated. Getting those records takes time, he said, and some required subpoenas.
Ms. Campbell is due back in court on Feb. 5.
