A New York City man accused of strangling his 15-year-old stepson to death was arrested on state parole violations on Thursday, a day after a Bronx judge set him free without bail.
Tyresse Minter, 28, was taken into custody after the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision issued a warrant for his arrest, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Hochul, a Democrat, took the unusual step of announcing Minter’s arrest through an official statement issued by her office. It comes as she continues to push for changes to the state’s bail laws, which have come under constant criticism from police and moderate-to-conservative politicians since they were updated in 2019.
“My top priority is public safety,” Hochul said in her statement. “Earlier today, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision issued a warrant for Tyresse Minter, and he is now in custody.”
Minter, who is now facing charges for criminally negligent homicide and manslaughter, allegedly strangled his stepson, Corde Scott, inside their home on Jan. 23, according to the Bronx district attorney’s office.
“The defendant allegedly got into a dispute with his stepson, and restrained him by grabbing his neck, causing a lack of oxygen which led to the boy’s death,” District Attorney Darcel D. Clark said. “It is horrific that his life was taken at such a young age.”
Attempts to reach Minter's attorney were not immediately successful.
Bronx Supreme Court Justice Naita Semaj-Williams allowed Minter to be released without bail on Wednesday, with the agreement that he would be due back in court in June. Semaj-Williams’ decision to release Minter came despite calls from the prosecution that he remain imprisoned.
In her statement, Hochul also said her office would “continue working closely with the Bronx district attorney’s office throughout this process as it prosecutes the charges.”
Under current law, defendants can only be held on cash bail for certain charges — generally violent felonies and misdemeanors. But even in those cases, which include homicide and manslaughter, judges are required to impose the “least restrictive means” to ensure a defendant returns to court.
As part of ongoing state budget negotiations, Hochul is trying to convince lawmakers to remove the “least restrictive means” standard, a move she says would make clear to judges that they have the ability to set bail in serious cases.
She has not yet been able to reach consensus with the Legislature’s Democratic majorities, who say the state’s 2019 bail reforms were an important tool to ensure the justice system isn’t criminalizing poverty.
The state budget was due before April 1, though Hochul and lawmakers approved a temporary extension through April 10. On Thursday, Hochul told reporters she remained committed to her bail proposal.
“The bail laws, as I've said, need to be changed,” she said. “I support the fundamental premise behind the bail laws, but we need to make sure that judges understand that they have the discretion to make the right decision in the right case.”
Correction: The article has been updated to correctly reflect the defendant’s name.
