Two of Three Purse-Snatch Suspects Released

Two of the three women arrested for the purse-mugging of a Scarsdale pedestrian on April 12 were released from custody last Wednesday after the court determined there was no incriminating evidence with which to hold them.

Neshia Dias, 20, was the first to have her handcuffs removed by the court officers, and she was allowed to join her father in the galley. She leaned against him through the remainder of the court proceedings, until a court officer asked her to sit up, and left his side only briefly to speak to her attorney Joseph Villanueva in the hall.

Jasmine Burnett, also 20, and nearly six months pregnant, thanked her lawyer, then hovered near her friend Krystal Walters' side after her handcuffs were unlocked, waiting to hear the outcome of Walters' attorney's request for lower bail.

Walters is the only remaining suspect in the assault.

Burnett and Dias were arrested on May 1 in connection with the mugging, which occurred at 7:16 p.m. on a Monday night.

Walters, 21, against whom police had reported was picked up for the crime on April 14 after police found her already in the custody of White Plains police, having been arrested for a similar mugging in that area.

Her Legal Aid attorney, Theresa Gugliotta, begged Judge John Galloway "for some reasonable reduction – anything lesser would help bring it to something they could at least hope to aim for," she said.

But Assistant District Attorney Cynthia Adimari interjected, "Judge, if you're considering a reduction in bail, we'd have to ask for a remand [in which she would be detained with no bail offer]. There's been a change of circumstances to the negative with this case." Elaborating, Adimari said, "She's been picked up for more charges since these originally were filed."

"I'm going to have to deny it," said Judge Galloway, repeating the offer of bail for $100,000 bond or $50,000 cash.

According to the Westchester County Department of Corrections' website, Walters has piled on two counts of criminal possession of stolen property in Elmsford and four charges – two of forgery and two of criminal possession of stolen property – in Mamaroneck Village. She also has two outstanding felony charges of robbery and grand larceny in White Plains.

Dias stepped out of the courtroom to speak with her father and her attorney, while Burnett then stepped down from the defense table and watched Walters' proceedings by her mother's side.

Walters faces three felony charges in the case – robbery in the 2nd degree, grand larceny in the 4th, and criminal possession of stolen property in the 4th.

Dias and Burnett had initially been charged with the same felonies.

"We are ecstatic that Ms. Dias was released so she can move forward with her life, and we are grateful that the charges have been dropped," said Villanueva outside the courtroom.

When asked what initial evidence led prosecutors to believe his client was involved with the mugging of the Claremont Rd. resident, Villanueva said, "That's something we always questioned from the very beginning. We – me and Alex [Burnett's attorney] – aggressively moved to advocate on the behalf of our clients."

Dias herself declined to comment, and Burnett replied, "I don't have anything to say to you all."

Alexander Ayoub, Burnett's attorney, said: "My client was innocent, and we fought the charges because she was innocent, and the truth prevaled."

The initial crime occurred when two women attacked a 49-year-old Scarsdale woman as she walked home from the train station; coming up behind her they pulled her coat over her head, causing her cell phone to fall and her glasses to break. They grabbed her red designer purse, which had $60 and several credit cards in it, and dashed into a waiting car driven by a third person.

White Plains police had picked up 21-year-old Krystal Walters of 96 Dobbs Ferry Rd., White Plains, on an unrelated robbery charge, but in an incident with similar qualities to the one on Walworth Ave. Walters was named as a suspect in the Walworth mugging after being identified in a gas-station surveillance tape using the victim's credit card.

Walters and her accomplices also used the cards to buy $300 worth of clothing at a Rainbow shop in the Bronx and to make other purchases, according to court documents.

Shortly after Walters' arrest, Dias and Burnett, both of White Plains, were identified and arrested. Dias, whose mother advocated for her in an earlier hearing, was suspected of driving the getaway car, not being one of the attackers. Albena Dias said her daughter was a well-behaved nurse's aid who helped provide for her family, and never caused any trouble.

Dias has twice been charged with robbery, but both cases were dismissed. Walters and Burnett are still facing robbery charges in White Plains.

Following Wednesday's hearing, Walters sobbed into her mother's lap in the breezeway next to the courtroom entrance, while Burnett stroked her head and Burnett's mother stood by.

As Walters was removed from the building with police officers by her side, Burnett and Dias gathered around her, showering her with hugs and whispering supportive words in her ear.

A woman identifying herself as Walters' mother angrily told a Patch reporter not to take photographs of her daughter and instructed Walters, "Keep your head down!" when she approached the police cruiser which would transport her back to prison.

When she asked why Patch was interested in taking photographs, I explained it was of public interest to know who the persons accused of mugging someone in the Village were. "You don't know my daughter," she said. "You don't know what my daughter's done."

After I cited the charges related to the string of robberies have been publicly made against Walters, the woman responded,""You've only known my daughter for three months – I've known her her whole life."

She stood in front of the camera, and I apologized that she felt I was being intrusive of her daughter's privacy. "Don't be sorry for me," she said. "I've got God on my side."

Krystal Walters will return to Scarsdale court on August 25. Her next court date, in Elmsford, is on Friday.