‘The system failed her’: NYPD came to slain woman’s home an hour before she was killed
The NYPD showed up to a Harlem nursing student’s apartment less than an hour before she was allegedly stabbed to death by her abusive ex-boyfriend because he was trying to break in — but instead of making an effort to find him or protect her in any way, they simply took a report and left, according to police, sources and her family.
Officers from Manhattan’s 25th Precinct — where Alayna Hardy, 27, had filed six previous domestic violence reports against Fernando Munera — were soon called back to the apartment Wednesday night, but it was too late.
Munera had broken in through the fire escape after police left and stabbed her multiple times until she died.
“They should’ve put a plainclothes police officer out there or something,” Hardy’s uncle Jared Hardy told The Post by phone.
“There’s so much politicization of violence now, all these people trying to release violent criminals, they’re trying to destroy justice for victims and they want to victimize people and they’re doing a good job with all their policies.”
Dorchen Leidholdt, a domestic violence expert and the director of Sanctuary for Families legal center, who’s been working with gender-based violence survivors for nearly 50 years, said it is “inexplicable” that the police “simply left.”
“The police should’ve been there, they should’ve looked for him and they should’ve assessed the danger and understood … that this victim was at a great risk of danger and they should’ve stayed on the scene for at least for an hour,” Leidholdt said.
“That’s an inadequate response … this had risk of lethality written all over it. It’s heartbreaking.”
The NYPD didn’t return a request for comment about the criticism.
Munera’s abusive tendencies were obvious to anyone who knew the couple well — a neighbor who spent time with the pair told The Post he was known to be “controlling” and was recently abusing prescription medication and mixing it with alcohol.
Madison Elder, Hardy’s cousin who said she was “best friends” with her their entire lives, told The Post that Munera “was a classic abuser.”
“[He was] making her cut off her friendships with other people, he would sometimes answer her phone for her, he wouldn’t leave her alone,” Elder said.
Jared Hardy called Munera’s alleged acts “senseless violence.”
“That bastard, he destroyed so much, pure evil,” the heartbroken uncle said through tears.
“All we can hope is we get justice and that he’ll never see the light of day again and he’ll never be eligible for parole.”
Late Thursday, Hardy’s family set up a GoFundMe page to help with their funeral expenses and the cost to transport her remains back to Arizona, and it’s already raised over $10,000.
Leidholdt pointed to the documented history of violence between the couple, which was also known to the police, and the fact that Munera lived in the same building as Hardy as more than enough reason for cops to stick around and protect her.
“Seven calls to the police? Escalating violence? Multiple lethality dangerousness factors and he appears that he lived in the building and the police didn’t stick around to protect this victim? That is unconscionable,” Leidholdt said.
“Unfortunately law enforcement, still to this day, simply does not provide intimate partner violence victims with the same degree of protection it provides others and I suspect that if this had been a stranger incident, or an incident that did not involve an intimate partner, that the police would’ve provided a greater degree of protection.
“The system failed her.”
Leidholdt said Hardy’s alleged murder should be a “real wake-up call” to the NYPD and “there needs to be change” — fast.
Munera was already facing charges over a February incident where he allegedly held her prisoner in her apartment, stole her phone to prevent her from calling 911 and destroyed her belongings.
In that case, prosecutors tried to hold him on bail following his arrest, pointing to his history of domestic incidents, but a judge released him on his own recognizance because state law prohibits jurists from factoring dangerousness into their bail decision.
“If ever there was a case in which bail should’ve been granted, it’s this case,” Leidholdt said.
“Had that happened? Alayna Hardy very likely would be alive today.”
2 comments:
Unfortunately it is not illegal to be an asshole. If the cops arrested every asshole in the country the population would drop by about 10% and prison and jail costs would soar. Too bad the city of New York does not believe in allowing private citizens to be able to defend themselves.
To bad NYC makes it so hard to own a gun for self defense.
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