May 27, 1999

INMATE INDICTED IN MURDER PLOT TO KILL WIFE TO PREVENT HER FROM TESTIFYING AGAINST HIM IN ATTEMPTED MURDER CASE

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today that a 52 year old man, already in jail on charges of attempting to murder his 32 year old wife last January, has been indicted for conspiring with an undercover officer posing as a hit man to have her killed to prevent her from testifying at his trial.

District Attorney Brown said, "It is alleged that in March of this year while in jail for the attempted murder of his wife, the defendant entered into a conspiracy to have her killed so that she could not testify against him. This is one of the most egregious instances of domestic violence that we have seen here in Queens. Apparently, the defendant would stop at nothing to kill his spouse so that, he believed, he would be released from jail and would gain custody of their children."

District Attorney Brown identified the defendant as Dammar Baral, 52, of 33-53 82^nd Street, Elmhurst. He was arraigned today on an indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit murder, witness tampering and intimidating a witness. If convicted of the murder conspiracy he faces a maximum penalty of up to 25 years in prison. He was previously charged with attempted murder, burglary, assault and other crimes in connection with the January 29^th attack on his wife. If convicted of those charges he faces an additional term in prison of up to 25 years.

District Attorney Brown said that the January attack took place inside the victim's Elmhurst residence. The defendant is accused of entering his estranged wife's apartment armed with a knife and a sword while she was asleep. He allegedly cut her with the knife, bit her face, punched her repeatedly and strangled her manually. He is also charged with forcing her to sign a statement relinquishing custody of their two children, aged 7 and 11. The terrified victim sustained two broken teeth, a knife wound and severe lacerations and contusions. After the attack the defendant fled but was arrested at his Jackson Heights residence a short while after the crime occurred. He has been held on $1 million bail since his arrest.

According to today's indictment, during a three day period from March 23 to March 26 while at Rikers Island, the defendant let it be known that he was seeking to locate someone to kill his wife to prevent her from testifying against him. During a three day period in March, from March 23 to March 26, an undercover detective assigned to the Police Department's Organized Crime Investigation Division contacted the defendant offering to carry out the murder. It is alleged that the detective subsequently met the defendant on Rikers Island and that the defendant supplied him with a photograph of his wife along with her home and business addresses, as well as a schedule of her and her childrens' daily comings and goings.

Assistant District Attorneys Lucinda Suarez, Deputy Chief of the District Attorney's Special Victims Bureau, and Laurie Israel of that Bureau, which is under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Marjory D. Fisher and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney Gregory L. Lasak, are in charge of the cases. Assistant District Attorney Brian J. Mich, Chief of the Rackets Bureau assisted in the investigation.

The defendant was placed under arrest today by Detective Richard Fagan of NYPD's Organized Crime Investigation Division which is under the supervision of Deputy Inspector John H. Regan and the overall supervision of Chief of Organized Crime Control Martin O'Boyle.

The defendant will be arraigned on the indictment today before Supreme Court Justice John Latella.

It should be noted that an indictment is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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