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An Arden Heights mom, whose twin sons had just beaten a man bloody, tried to prevent a witness from helping the man out, then used a hose to clean up the mess while the victim lay unconscious at her feet, police allege.
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"Let him choke," Deborah Berardi, 55, allegedly told a witness as the 24-year-old victim was having a seizure on the pavement down the block from her Lisa Lane home. An hour later, she was playing "Frontierville" on Facebook.com, posting an update on her profile that she "needs hammers in order to complete a general store."
She and her sons, Thomas and Anthony, 22, all face felony gang assault charges in connection with the July 5 episode, which left the victim with a broken nose, a broken eye socket and a cracked skull, according to authorities. A fourth suspect in the beating remains at large.Authorities say the twins knew the victim — identified in court papers as Beka Bekaouri — from around their neighborhood.
The Berardis all live on Lisa Lane, and the assault happened on nearby Myrna Lane at about 1:30 a.m., according to court papers.
The attack appeared to have been sparked by an argument between Thomas Berardi and a group of people in a car with Bekaouri’s girlfriend, according to a law enforcement source.
When Bekaouri, who wasn’t in the car, approached to intervene, he and Thomas Berardi got into an argument, the source said.
Thomas Berardi then punched Bekaouri in the face, police allege, and Anthony Berardi and an as-of-yet unidentified accomplice joined in the fray, pummeling Bekaouri badly enough to cause a seizure.
A female witness tried to help Bekaouri, and Ms. Berardi, who had arrive on the scene at some point, pushed her away and told her, "Let him choke," court papers allege.
That’s when Ms. Berardi pulled out the hose, authorities allege, washing the blood from the street and, at one point, from Bekaouri as he lay prone on the pavement.
Bekaouri was taken to Staten Island University Hospital, Prince’s Bay, where he was treated for his injuries and later released, the law enforcement source said.
Bekaouri, who has a Brooklyn address, did not return a phone message seeking comment.
Police arrested the Berardis Monday. All three are charged with second-degree gang assault, second- and third-degree assault, and second-degree harassment, said William J. Smith, a spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Donovan. Ms. Berardi also faces a count of fourth-degree criminal facilitation.
Ms. Berardi, who was back home this afternoon, told the Advance the police accounting of events was inaccurate, but declined to elaborate.
"The whole thing is wrong. Everything is wrong," she said. "It wasn’t that way, and that’s all I have to say. And we’ll straighten it out in front of a grand jury."
She directed further questions to her lawyer, Stephen McCarthy, who did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
Shortly after her release, at about 4 p.m., Ms. Berardi posted another update to her Facebook.com profile — a status report from the game "Cafe World."
source
141
5
125Share
"Let him choke," Deborah Berardi, 55, allegedly told a witness as the 24-year-old victim was having a seizure on the pavement down the block from her Lisa Lane home. An hour later, she was playing "Frontierville" on Facebook.com, posting an update on her profile that she "needs hammers in order to complete a general store."
She and her sons, Thomas and Anthony, 22, all face felony gang assault charges in connection with the July 5 episode, which left the victim with a broken nose, a broken eye socket and a cracked skull, according to authorities. A fourth suspect in the beating remains at large.Authorities say the twins knew the victim — identified in court papers as Beka Bekaouri — from around their neighborhood.
The Berardis all live on Lisa Lane, and the assault happened on nearby Myrna Lane at about 1:30 a.m., according to court papers.
The attack appeared to have been sparked by an argument between Thomas Berardi and a group of people in a car with Bekaouri’s girlfriend, according to a law enforcement source.
When Bekaouri, who wasn’t in the car, approached to intervene, he and Thomas Berardi got into an argument, the source said.
Thomas Berardi then punched Bekaouri in the face, police allege, and Anthony Berardi and an as-of-yet unidentified accomplice joined in the fray, pummeling Bekaouri badly enough to cause a seizure.
A female witness tried to help Bekaouri, and Ms. Berardi, who had arrive on the scene at some point, pushed her away and told her, "Let him choke," court papers allege.
That’s when Ms. Berardi pulled out the hose, authorities allege, washing the blood from the street and, at one point, from Bekaouri as he lay prone on the pavement.
Bekaouri was taken to Staten Island University Hospital, Prince’s Bay, where he was treated for his injuries and later released, the law enforcement source said.
Bekaouri, who has a Brooklyn address, did not return a phone message seeking comment.
Police arrested the Berardis Monday. All three are charged with second-degree gang assault, second- and third-degree assault, and second-degree harassment, said William J. Smith, a spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Donovan. Ms. Berardi also faces a count of fourth-degree criminal facilitation.
Ms. Berardi, who was back home this afternoon, told the Advance the police accounting of events was inaccurate, but declined to elaborate.
"The whole thing is wrong. Everything is wrong," she said. "It wasn’t that way, and that’s all I have to say. And we’ll straighten it out in front of a grand jury."
She directed further questions to her lawyer, Stephen McCarthy, who did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
Shortly after her release, at about 4 p.m., Ms. Berardi posted another update to her Facebook.com profile — a status report from the game "Cafe World."
source
