ITHACA, N.Y. — Defense attorneys representing the man accused of fatally stabbing an Ithaca College student in August questioned the validity of evidence that identified the accused murderer on Friday afternoon in Tompkins County Court.
Nagee Green, 23, has been indicted with felony second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, and second-degree assault after it was alleged that he fatally stabbed IC student Anthony Nazaire in the chest and stabbed another man, Raheim Williams, three times in his back.
Green, who is represented by attorneys Joseph Joch and Michael Perehinec, pleaded not guilty to the charges on Nov. 21.
Joch and Perehinec later filed documents in January suggesting that Green’s arrest and detention were not based upon probable cause. Court documents state that investigators during Green’s interrogation used “psychological mind games” to encourage a confession from him.
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In court on Friday, Green’s defense attorneys called upon Investigator Christine Barksdale as a witness, suggesting that the means of identifying Green as the murder suspect in the investigation were perhaps contentious.
Investigator Barksdale said she went to New York City to attend a wake for Nazaire on the weekend following his death. As part of her investigation, Barksdale said she also paid a visit to Williams, who had returned to his mother’s home in the city to recover after he was discharged from the hospital.
“(Williams) knew I was coming down to (the city) to see him and knew I was going to take a voluntary statement,” she said. “I think he knew he was going to review a photo array.”
Perehinec asked Barksdale if she was aware that Investigator Kevin McKenna, the lead investigator in the case, had already shown Williams the photo array to identify a suspect before Williams left Ithaca. Barksdale said she did not converse with McKenna prior to her visit about the array of photos, but said that IPD investigators had developed Green as a suspect in the stabbings.
Barksdale said Williams identified Green in the photo array as ‘the guy from the brawl with the backpack’ but did say that he did not give her any more information.
While Barksdale said Williams did identify Green as someone he had seen that night, she told the courtroom that she did not bring any recording devices and did not take any other personal notes during her visit besides William’s voluntary statement.
Judge John C. Rowley said he would review the information brought up in Friday’s suppression hearing. In the meantime, jury selection for Green’s trial is set to begin on Thursday at 9 a.m.
Correction: Investigator Christine Barksdale’s name was initially misspelled in this story.
Editor’s note: Attorney Michael Perehinec is on The Ithaca Voice Board of Directors. We do not feel that this has influenced our coverage. Please contact Managing Editor Jolene Almendarez at jalmendarez@ithacavoice.com with comments or concerns.