1 year ago
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NEW YORK (AP) — A antheral who opened occurrence connected a packed Brooklyn subway bid past year, wounding 10 passengers successful a rush-hour onslaught that shocked New York City, pleaded blameworthy Tuesday to national coercion charges that could enactment him successful situation for the remainder of his life.
Frank James, 63, who posted online that helium was the “Prophet of Doom,” admitted successful Brooklyn national tribunal to pulling the trigger connected a Manhattan-bound bid arsenic it moved betwixt stations connected April 12, 2022 — an battle that prosecutors said was “intended to inflict maximum harm astatine the tallness of unreserved hour.”
James, wearing a beige jailhouse jumpsuit and speechmaking from a prepared statement, said helium lone intended to origin superior bodily injury, not death, but that helium knew his actions could’ve been lethal.
Dressed arsenic a attraction worker, James fired a 9mm handgun astatine slightest 33 times aft mounting disconnected a brace of fume grenades — wounding victims ranging successful property from 16 to 60 successful the legs, back, buttocks and manus arsenic the bid pulled into a presumption successful Sunset Park. He past fled successful the haze and confusion, mounting disconnected a 30-hour citywide manhunt that ended erstwhile helium called the constabulary connected himself.
James pleaded blameworthy to each 11 counts successful his indictment, including 10 counts of committing a violent onslaught against a wide transit strategy — 1 for each wounded passenger. The coercion complaint carries a maximum condemnation of beingness successful prison. The different complaint — firing a firearm during a convulsive transgression — has a mandatory minimum condemnation of 10 years successful prison.
Prosecutors are seeking to enactment him successful situation for decades. His lawyers — arguing that his behaviour amounted to aggravated assault, not attempted execution — said helium shouldn’t service much than 18 years. James doesn’t person a plea agreement.
Previously, helium vowed to combat the charges and refused to permission his jailhouse compartment to look astatine an earlier tribunal hearing, starring Judge William F. Kuntz II to contented an bid instructing U.S. Marshals to usage “all indispensable force” to guarantee that James showed up to Tuesday’s plea hearing.
Several victims attended the proceeding, but nary wanted to speech to reporters. James did not explicit remorse, but said helium plans to bash truthful erstwhile helium is sentenced, apt successful the summer.
“Mr. James has accepted work for his crimes since helium turned himself successful to instrumentality enforcement,” James’ lawyers, Mia Eisner-Grynberg and Amanda David, said successful a statement. “A conscionable condemnation successful this lawsuit volition cautiously equilibrium the harm helium caused with his age, his health, and the Bureau of Prisons’ notoriously inadequate aesculapian care.”
If the lawsuit had gone to trial, prosecutors said grounds would’ve refuted James’ assertion that helium intended lone to injure, not kill. James had been readying the onslaught for astatine slightest 4 years and made a proceedings tally a fewer months prior, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Winik said.
James acceptable disconnected fume grenades earlier shooting truthful that passengers would fly to 1 broadside of the subway car, enabling him to sprout them much easily, Winik said. The trajectory of his gunshots showed helium was aiming “center mass” for maximum lethality, she said.
The onslaught upended the ritual of the greeting commute, “endangering the lives of countless New Yorkers who trust connected the information of the subway strategy each day,” Winik said.
Before the shooting, James, who is Black, posted dozens of videos online successful which helium ranted astir race, unit and his struggles with intelligence illness, sometimes adopting the moniker “Prophet of Doom.”
He decried the attraction of Black radical and talked astir however helium was truthful frustrated, “I should person gotten a weapon and conscionable started shooting.” In 1 video, helium appeared to beryllium successful a packed New York City subway car, raising his digit to constituent retired passengers 1 by one.
James, who’s been locked up astatine a Brooklyn national jailhouse since his arrest, told Kuntz that a jailhouse scientist visits him erstwhile a period “to talk with maine and spot however I’m doing.”
James’ lawyers informed the justice connected Dec. 21 that helium wanted to plead guilty, an about-face from his earlier vow to combat the charges astatine trial.
In a jailhouse interrogation with The Associated Press successful August, James spoke astir his lifelong conflict with intelligence wellness and the notoriety helium gained astatine the Metropolitan Detention Center successful Brooklyn, wherever helium befriended the disgraced R&B prima R. Kelly.
“It’s going to beryllium a agelong case,” James said. “People don’t person capable accusation yet to justice me... All successful each I’m a bully idiosyncratic astatine heart. I’ve ne'er wounded anybody.”
James was arrested successful Manhattan a time aft the shooting aft calling a constabulary extremity enactment to accidental wherever helium was. Police were already searching the country aft a sharp-eyed precocious schoolhouse photography pupil called successful a extremity astir a man, believed to beryllium the suspect, sitting connected a seat with a duffel bag.
Prosecutors said a trove of grounds connected James to the attack. His slope card, cellphone and a cardinal to a van helium had rented were recovered astatine the shooting scene. Officers besides recovered the handgun they said was utilized successful the shooting; tracing records amusement James purchased the weapon from a licensed weapon trader successful Ohio successful 2011.
In tribunal papers, prosecutors suggested James had the means to transportation retired much attacks, noting that helium had ammunition and different gun-related items successful a Philadelphia retention unit. The New York City autochthonal had been surviving successful Milwaukee and Philadelphia anterior to the shooting.
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Associated Press reporters Jim Mustian and Larry Neumeister contributed to this report.
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