Say Bronx ma lured baby dad to his slaying
Woman seen as vic in attack charged in scheme with beau to have her son’s father shot
A Bronx mom lured the father of their 2-year-old son to his shooting death by a current boyfriend in a lethal conspiracy last month, the Daily News has learned.
Brittany Ward, initially believed to be a victim of the Feb. 7 attack, was instead accused of teaming with accused gunman Aaron Rene to murder the victim as the little boy was left unattended in a nearby building vestibule, said Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Kamens.
After Marquis Lane was gunned down near Park Ave. and E. 167th St. in Morrisania, Ward “left that location with co-defendant Aaron Rene,” said Kamens. “... The co-defendant and Brittany Ward had a conversation where they knew the [victim] would be at that place.”
The prosecutor said Ward ensured “[Lane] was at the specific location ... ensured he would be killed.” Court papers charged the two “acting in concert ... did cause the death of Marquis Lane by shooting him.”
Ward was only arrested in the case on March 7.
Rene made statements on the day of his Feb. 21 arrest acknowledging he knew the victim “and they did not like each other,” court papers said.
Ward was released and ordered to wear an electronic monitor after a contentious Monday court hearing where relatives of both the suspect and the victim interrupted the session.
“That’s not true!” shouted a member of Ward’s family during the hearing, while a relative of the victim yelled, “This s—- is crazy!” after the defendant was released.
Rene, 30, was arrested two weeks after the shooting for murder, manslaughter and weapons possession and held without bail. The accused killer has one unsealed prior arrest, police said.
The victim, who had a long list of prior arrests, was a construction worker who lived nearby with his 75-year-old grandmother and was the father of three other children.
Authorities initially said Rene came to the aid of his girlfriend when she was assaulted by Lane, and police said video showed the victim assaulting his ex before the shooting.
Defense attorney Brian Sullivan, representing Ward, insisted his client was wrongfully accused in the killing.
“She was there to pick up their child,” said Sullivan to the derision of Lane’s family at the hearing. “I don’t know how you can say she lured him. She was obviously shocked when this man was shot and killed.”