A grand jury decided against murder charges for a man who fatally stabbed two men on a 2 train in March, apparently believing Brenddy Garcia's claims of self-defense. Garcia, 19, will be released from Rikers; his lawyer said, "He’s been distraught. He’s been crying. He’s been depressed. I’m just happy that the right thing happened here."
The incident unfolded early on March 28: Garcia and some friends were heading home from a baby shower when another group approached them. Apparently one person threw empty beer bottles at Garcia and the situation escalated when Ricardo Williams tried to attack Garcia while another person broke a beer bottle on Garcia's head. Garcia took out a knife with a four-inch blade and stabbed Williams and Darnell Morel, who both died. While Williams's and Morel's friend initially told cops that Garcia was not provoked, Garcia's lawyer Lawrence Fredella said, "Even witnesses for the deceased had to admit he was attacked first." Some law enforcement sources had said that Williams, Morel and their friends were on a "train party", harassing fellow subway riders.
The Post reports that Garcia "told the Manhattan grand jury that he carried a four-inch folding knife for his own security" because "he had been robbed and severely beaten in a subway in 2006 and then savagely attacked on a Bushwick street in 2007 in an incident that left him in a coma with 275 stitches." Fredella said of his client and his friends, "These are five pretty good kids. Maybe they smoke a little marijuana or drink a little beer here and there. They’re not bad guys."
