JULY 20,2000

NEWS ADVISORY

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said today that the defendants John B. Taylor, 36 and Craig Godineaux, 30, will be arraigned tomorrow on a 50 count indictment filed last month, charging them with the murder of five Wendy’s Restaurant employees and the attempted murder of two other employees during a robbery of the Flushing restaurant on May 26th, 2000.

The arraignment will take place tomorrow morning before Supreme Court Justice Robert Hanophy who presides in TAP C, Room 370, of the Supreme Court, Criminal Term at 125-01 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens.

District Attorney Brown said, "The defendants have been charged in the indictment with multiple counts of murder in the first and second degrees, attempted murder and robbery. Under the provisions of New York State’s 1995 Death Penalty Law, I must decide within 120 days if tomorrow’s arraignment whether or not to seek the death penalty in this case. As I have said in the past in making that decision I will take into consideration all of the facts and circumstances surrounding the crime, the defendants’ prior criminal records, their state of mind, their character, background and mental capacity as well as their motivation and any facts in mitigation of my seeking the death penalty. I will also meet with and ascertain the views of the victims family members. Once that intense and thorough evaluation is complete I will make my decision."