Community Corner
🌱 NYE + Home Invasion Turned Domestic Homicide + Laying Low In Luxury
The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Brooklyn.
Morning, everybody! It's New Years Eve, and I'm back in your inbox with last edition of the Brooklyn Daily for 2022. Before we hop into January, here are all the things you need to know about what's happening locally, today, including...
- Daughter chartered with murder in shocking twist to Bensonhurst 'home invasion' case
- More on the 'Bling Bishop' and his cushy hideout digs
- BK is the driving force behind decreasing homicides and shootings city-wide
But first, today's weather:
🌧 A couple of afternoon showers. High: 48 Low: 47.
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Here are the top stories today in Brooklyn:
1. In a stocking turn of events, a 23-year-old woman has been arrested on murder and attempted murder charges after initially blaming masked home invaders. Early Thursday morning at a home in Bensonhurst, Carlo Secondino, 61, was stabbed to death in his home, while his daughter, 19, was sent to the hospital in critical condition, suffering stab wounds. Secondino's other daughter, Nikki, 22, reported a home invasion, blaming her father's death and sister's attempted murder on two masked home invaders who fled the scene before police showed up. Yesterday, however, the story continued with a shocking twist: Nikki Secondino, an aspiring model, has been arrested for the murder of her father and for gravely injuring her sister, who is still fighting for her life according to NYPD. Secondino has also been accused of weapons possession.
2. Turns out fraud indictment isn't so bad when you've got friends in high places and a Paramus mansion to hang out in. The so called 'Bling Bishop' Lamor Whitehead is laying low at his sprawling Bergen County home following criminal charges that were filed against him. The pastor with a checkered past was indicted on December 19 in the Southern District of New York on several fraud charges; the litany of allegations include accusations that Whitehead defrauded a parishioner out of her retirement savings, that he attempted to extort and defraud a businessman, and that he lied to the FBI while being arrested. The pastor pleaded not guilty and was released on a $500,00o bond and is now hiding out at his mansion in Paramus, New Jersey.
3. A father has been arrested on murder charges for allegedly shaking his infant son to death. At 2:24 a.m. on December 20, officers responded to a call regarding an unconscious infant inside an apartment at 712 Crown St. in Crown Heights. When they arrived, police found the 4-month-old Men'Dece Reuben unconscious in the apartment. The baby was rushed to NYC Health & Hospitals/Kings County in critical condition, where he ultimately died of his injuries on Monday, December 26. The infant's father was taken on December 21 and has been charged with fatally assaulting his son, who, authorities say, died of shaken baby syndrome after his 25-year-old father allegedly shook Men'Dece prior to his death.
4. Brooklyn is driving a city-wide decline in gun violence over the past two years, as homicides and shootings continue to drop in the borough. Yesterday Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced that Brooklyn continued to make gains in public safety during 2022: Homicides are declining by 8 percent and shootings decreasing by 13 percent compared to 2021. These encouraging trends amount to a reversal of the spike in gun violence during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020—shootings in Brooklyn dropped by 31 percent over the past two years, representing over 83 percent of the citywide decline during that period.
The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office
Today in Brooklyn:
- Family Bowl, Brooklyn Bowl, Today @ 11 a.m. | Details
- 'Des Moines' Opening Night, Theatre for a New Audience at Polonsky Shakespeare Center, Today @ 2 p.m. | Details
- Celebrate New Year's Eve at Dave & Buster's [Two Events!], Today @ 4 p.m. | Details
- New Year's Eve Family Style Thai Feast, KRU Brooklyn, Today @ 5 p.m. | Details
- Borscht: A Speakeasy Stand-Up Comedy Show, The tiny Cupboard, Today @ 5:30 p.m. | Details
- New Year's Eve Fireworks, Prospect Park, Today @ 10 p.m. | Details
🐝 Brooklyn Buzz:
- Jewish Currents is a little Jewish magazine built on a Brooklyn woman's big ideas: "As with so many Jewish texts, clear-cut conclusions are rarely the point of these pieces. The publication's thoroughgoing examinations of knotty questions simply lead to more questions. It's all about the layers of debate." Learn more about Arielle Angel and her publication at the link. (Subscription / The New York Times)
- Brooklynite Spotlight: Two former bartenders recall fondly their time at Brooklyn gay bar Starlite Lounge. "New Year's Eve - the best thing to do is go in party mode with the people. You know, setting up the bar and people coming in with noisemakers and the music and the - you know, the laughter." Read/listen to their interview at the link. (NPR)
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Alrighty, you're all caught up for today. I'll be in your inbox tomorrow with your next update!
— Carlie Houser
About me: I'm a recent grad based in Brooklyn, NY. I love to write, run, read, and find new restaurants and venues around the city.
Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Brooklyn Daily? Contact me at brooklyn@patch.com
