Outrage erupts online as Manhattan Judge Valentina Morales frees alleged attacker who hit woman in head

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: Social media users were extremely upset recently because they disagreed with a decision made by a Manhattan judge. The judge granted freedom to a man named Eric Taylor, 50, who was accused of attacking a woman named Jill Burke, 24, by hitting her on the head.

According to the New York Post, Burke had revealed that the incident occurred around 10 am on January 31 while she was walking to work at a startup financial firm. She stated that she was unexpectedly hit in the face with a heavy object, causing her to fall to the ground, allegedly by Taylor.

Manhattan judge releases alleged attacker Eric Taylor

According to a report by the New York Post, a Manhattan judge, known for being lenient, recently released an alleged attacker who reportedly assaulted a woman in Union Square as she was on her way to work, according to police.

The victim, identified as Burke, found out that her alleged assailant, Taylor, had been released when she went to testify against him in front of a grand jury, as reported by The New York Post.

Despite a prosecutor's request for either $20,000 cash bail or a $60,000 bond, records indicate that Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Valentina Morales released Taylor, who has two prior felony convictions and 22 misdemeanor convictions.

Burke, who is a resident of East Village, described the incident to The New York Post, stating, "He was carrying a plastic bag full of things in one hand and kind of pointed at me with the other hand like he was aiming. He took the plastic bag and hurled it at my face from about two feet away. I fell to the ground and then he just walked away."

Police arrived at the scene and took the bag as evidence. Burke mentioned that it felt like it contained glass bottles, but she never got a chance to look inside before they located Taylor at a nearby electronics store and obtained a clear photo of him.

According to court records, Taylor later told the police that he threw the bag at Burke because "he thought she was a spy and was plotting against him."

Burke ended up with a black eye and a cut above her eyebrow. The person she said attacked her was arrested and accused of felony assault, a charge that allowed for bail, according to The New York Post.

Prosecutors described the incident as "This is a stranger assault in which the defendant threw a shopping bag filled with various hard objects at a complete stranger’s head for no reason." If convicted, Taylor could have faced a three-year prison sentence.

However, when Burke appeared to testify before a grand jury on February 21, she discovered that the judge had released Taylor.

As stated by The New York Post, she expressed her disbelief, saying, “I don’t know how a judge would let someone like this walk free. I looked up the judge’s name immediately. Just seeing the history and how many times she has repeatedly let very violent criminals go is just disgusting to me, really shocking. Obviously, I would like to see him stay in jail for a long time."

Six days after Morales released him, Burke's attacker was eventually incarcerated by a different judge, as reported by The New York Post.

Internet users assert they will boycott New York

A user wrote, "If people in New York City do not change how they vote they’re not gonna have much left of that city."

Another user wrote, "We have an epidemic of judges that need to be arrested and removed from the bench."

A user commented, "This is why we boycott NY. we must include DC in that as well."

Another user commented, "It seems most judges there are advocates for the criminals instead of arbiters of justice."

 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.