Bx. hate susp sprung
Freed without bail after 2nd judge reverses order
A man accused of a hate-fueled campaign of vandalism targeting Bronx synagogues and a Jewish community center — and initially ordered jailed after a contentious court hearing — was released without bail later the same night, authorities said Monday.
Jordan Burnette, 29, was ordered held on $20,000 bail by Bronx Criminal Court Judge Louis Nock on Sunday night after the jurist reviewed the state’s bail reform laws and determined monetary bond was legal because Burnette broke glass during a burglary, which could classify the crime as a violent felony.
But later Sunday night, another Bronx jurist, Tara Collins, reversed course and ordered Burnette released without bail, the Bronx district attorney’s office said. “Burnette’s lawyer asked for a review of the bail and Judge Collins changed to supervised release,” said Patrice O’Shaughnessy, a spokeswoman for the DA’s office.
Mayor de Blasio responded to the release Monday.
“I think this is an area that we definitely should look at again because hate crimes are such a profound challenge,” de Blasio said. “But the important thing for us to do right now is to work within the law as intensely and effectively as possible to protect people.”
Burnette was hit with 42 charges, including burglary as a hate crime and criminal trespass as a hate crime for attacks on four synagogues and a Jewish community center, during which he allegedly smashed windows and doused religious books in hand sanitizer.
“I believe in Jesus . ... Jesus is the real Messiah. That’s all I know. I didn’t throw any rocks,” Burnette told reporters after his arrest Saturday.
The suspect’s mother, Sharon Burnette, told the Daily News on Monday she’s surprised by the allegations.
“My son is a very good boy,” she said. “He always has been. He’s been one of my best children.”
“Sometimes people, they go through struggles,” she said. “I’m shocked.”
Jordan Burnette’s court appearance was extended into three separate hearings Sunday as the two judges delved into the finer aspects of the state’s controversial and intricate bail law reforms to determine if the cash option could be set in Burnette’s case.
Even prosecutors didn’t believe they had the authority to set bail at first.
“This is not a crime for which we can ask for bail, as the law exists and the Legislature oversees it,” argued Assistant District Attorney Theresa Gottlieb before the case was called a second time. “The Legislature did not in fact include hate crimes under bail-eligible offenses.”
But after a pause in the arraignment and an inspection of the law, Nock decided bail was applicable due to the broken glass involved in the attack. The second judge then reversed course after Burnette’s lawyer called for the review. Burnette is due back in court Friday.
“Judge Nock acted in clear violation of the law which is why his bail determination was immediately appealed,” Burnette’s lawyer Morgan Everhart said Monday.
“The unambiguous violation of Mr. Burnette’s rights was made plain by the court’s swift reversal of Judge Nock’s decision . ... It is important to remember that Mr. Burnette has not been convicted of any crimes and bail should not be used as a tool of punishment.”
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, a spokesman for the global Jewish human rights organization the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said bail laws in New York need to be changed.
“New York must not allow hatemongers to attack houses of worship with impunity,” he said. “Twenty years ago, we witnessed similar scenarios occur in France, where judges refused to hold those who vandalized synagogues accountable. That soon escalated to firebombings, violence and even murder.”