Suspect Cleared Of Charges After Witness Spots ‘Real’ Perp
It hasn’t been a good year for Michael Taylor, until now. Mr. Taylor, age 50 with two prior convictions for robbery and grand larceny, had been charged with holding up one of Bensonhurst’s two Radio Shacks. Between his criminal record and the testimony of an eyewitness, his odds of receiving either a not guilty verdict or leniency from the judge were long to say the least.
In the end, fate proved favorable for Michael Taylor. Richard Dougherty, the employee who had handed over the store’s cash to an armed robber back in September 2009, was walking down Jay Street on his way to the courthouse Monday when he saw another man he claims is the real perpetrator. When Mr. Taylor found out that the charges had been dropped, he began to cry. The ex-con, now a private sanitation worker, walked out court with his wife a free man.