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Marcelo Lucero Case: Jeffrey Conroy’s Mother Testifies in His Defense

Posted April 9, 2010 by Ted Hesson
Categories: Hate Watch

Lori Conroy, the mother of accused murderer Jeffrey Conroy, testified briefly in his defense this morning in Suffolk County Criminal Court in Riverhead.

Jeffrey Conroy is charged with murder, manslaughter, and gang assault in connection with the death of Ecuadorian immigration Marcelo Lucero in November 2008 in Patchogue.

In testimony that lasted just over 10 minutes, Lori Conroy said that her son told her of his innocence when she first visited him in jail days after the alleged crime.

“He said, ‘Mom…I did not do this,’” Lori Conroy testified. “He said, ‘I was just trying to help out this kid.’”

The assistant district attorney, Megan O’Donnell, objected to that statement, and her objection was sustained by Judge Robert H. Doyle.

Doyle, however, never instructed the jury to disregard Lori Conroy’s statement, and the defense continued questioning her.

Defense attorney William Keahon also asked Lori Conroy questions related to the alleged murder weapon:

“Have you ever seen Jeff with a black-handled knife?” Keahon asked.

“No,” Conroy replied.

“Have you ever seen Jeff carry a knife?” Keahon continued.

“No,” she replied.

On cross examination, O’Donnell focused on Lori Conroy’s testimony about receiving a call from Jeffrey the morning after the alleged attack.

Conroy testified that her husband received a call from Jeff, and put the call on speakerphone after the two did nothing more than say each others’ name.

“He said, ‘Dad,’ and my husband said, ‘Jeff,’ and that’s why we were both frantic, so we put it on speaker,” Conroy testified.

Yesterday, Conroy testified that he did not stab Lucero, and that he received the alleged murder weapon from Christopher Overton—another defendant awaiting trial—at the scene of the incident.

Overton’s mother, Denise, was in court again today, and outside the courtroom, I overheard her saying that “[Chris] cannot believe this…he’s in complete shock.”

Tags : christopher overton, jeffrey conroy, lori conroy, marcelo lucero

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