Jury Hears Closing Arguments In Trial Of Man Accused Of Stabbing 2 Kids In Brooklyn Elevator
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The jury in the trial of a man accused of stabbing two children in an elevator, killing one of them, heard closing arguments Thursday.
As CBS2's Andrea Grymes reported, the defense attacked the surviving child's credibility.
The defense attorney described his client as a "gentle summer's breeze," but the prosecution called him a cold-blooded child killer.
Daniel St. Hubert sat silently Thursday, as both sides gave closing arguments in his murder trial.
"There's only one person responsible for what happened to these two children," Assistant District Attorney Patrick O'Connor said.
O'Connor dimmed the lights and used a PowerPoint presentation to make his case that St. Hubert stabbed 6-year-old P.J. Avitto and 7-year-old Mikayla Capers multiple times each.
The alleged incident happened in an elevator at their East New York public housing development back in June 2014. The children were heading upstairs to get icies, when they came in contact with St. Hubert, a stranger, authorities said.
Avitto died of his injuries. Capers survived and now at 11 years old took the stand during the trial.
"She pointed to that monster and she identified that monster to you," said O'Connor.
More: CBS2 Exclusive: Victim Gives Heart-Wrenching Testimony In Gruesome NYCHA Stabbing
Defense attorney Howard Greenberg spent a big chunk of his closing attacking her credibility.
"Mikayla Capers, sad to say, is delusional," he said.
The girl testified she remembered St. Hubert to be her attacker. But Greenberg argued she also lied under oath and really doesn't know who stabbed her.
"She is a pathological liar. She cannot help it," he said.
Greenberg also accused Capers' great grandmother of perjury.
"She's a crackpot," he said.
He also noted that St. Hubert's fingerprints were not found on the knife or in the elevator.
An expert witness testified a mixed of DNA was found on the knife's handle, the majority belonging to St. Hubert. As for the rest of the DNA, there was not enough to figure out whose it was.
Members of the jury will have a bit of time on their own to think about the verdict. There's no court Friday because of Good Friday and no court next week because of the Passover and Easter holidays. The trial is expected to resume on April 9.
