Mamadou Diallo, 61, was arrested for killing a man who was attempting to rape his wife. Diallo, a native of Guinea, was charged with manslaughter after using a tire iron to kill the would-be rapist, a 43-year-old ex-convict named Earl Nash.
The incident took place in May when Diallo had left for work and his wife, Nenegale Diallo, was in their apartment along with her sister.
Earl Nash, a career criminal, went around knocking from door to door for water. When he knocked on Diallos’s apartment door, 50-year-old Nenegale opened the door and that is when Nash attacked her.
He smashed a chair down on Nenegale’s head and ripped her clothes and tried to rape her as she crumpled to the floor.
Nenegale freed herself with her sister’s help and called Diallo immediately, who then rushed back home. Just when he stepped off the elevator, he saw Nash and attacked him with a tire iron.
Diallo started beating him in the head and body and when people saw an unconscious Nash, they took him to Lincoln Hospital. Nash, who had a police record of more than 20 arrests for acts of theft and violence, died in the hospital.
After his death, Diallo was charged with manslaughter and was released in June from custody after his lawyers submitted a motion to dismiss charges.
Diallo reportedly has said that he resorted to violence because his wife was in danger.
Nash’s relatives too wrote a letter to the court saying that they do not want Mamadou Diallo behind bars.
“While we cannot undo the damage that was done that evening, we hope to bring some closure not only to our family but to the Diallo family as well. As such, we wholeheartedly recommend that District Attorney Clark dismiss all charges against Mamadou Diallo”, read the letter.
More details from AWM:
Because not even the rapist’s family wanted Diallo to suffer, Bronx Supreme Court Justice Marc Whiten decided to do something unprecedented. He dismissed all charges against Diallo – and when he did, the Bronx courtroom erupted in cheers from Diallo’s family and supporters who had shown up to let him know they did not blame him for ending the life of a violent rapist.
WABC reported that District Attorney Darcel Clark told the court: “This case was a tragedy for all whose lives intersected in that Bronx building … We waited for three months for the autopsy results, and after a thorough investigation as well as discussions with the deceased’s family we have determined that no grand jury action is warranted.”
Once he was exonerated, Diallo spoke to the New York Post:
“I do not want to kill that man. I’m not happy because I know a man died, and I know they put my name with somebody who died.”
Source: AWM