After Court Revealed His Identity, a Man Set to Testify Against MS-13 Has Been Found Dead

A New York man willing to testify against MS-13 members who attacked him in 2018 was found dead earlier this week after his identity was disclosed to defendants’ attorneys in pre-trial proceedings, police say.

The bludgeoned body of 36-year-old Wilmer Maldonado Rodriguez was found Sunday outside an abandoned home in New Cassel, the Nassau County Police Department announced Wednesday. Investigators said Rodriguez in October 2018 came to the defense of two boys who were being threatened by the gang — only to be beaten with a bat and stabbed, according to Newsday. . .

Singas says prosecutors tried to keep Rodriguez’s identity secret by obtaining a protective order in December 2018.

But last December, ahead of looming changes to New York’s criminal justice system, including reforming the pre-trial discovery phase – during which prosecutors reveal evidence to the defense for preparation – the judge in the case issued a new order.

It allowed “for the disclosure of the protected information to defense counsel,” Newsday reports. The judge’s order, it added, required attorneys for two defendants not to reveal Rodriguez’ s name to their clients until the trial’s start date of Jan. 6. (Read more from “After Court Revealed His Identity, a Man Set to Testify Against MS-13 Has Been Found Dead” HERE)

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