Oct. 18, 2013 Staff Report
The suspected homicide of prominent gay rights activist Louis Rispoli in Queens one year ago remains unsolved, and the NYPD says there are still no leads.
Police re-released sketches of two suspects Wednesday, as well as an announcement of a $22,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the person or persons involved.
The news, however, only added to the frustration of Rispoli’s friends and family, as the investigation into his death appeared to have been badly mismanaged from the start.
For unknown reasons, police who responded to the scene where Rispoli was assaulted did not treat the area as a crime scene, neglecting to search for evidence or tape the area off. Once Rispoli was put in an ambulance, they simply left, according to Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, a long-time close friend of Rispoli’s.
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I guess they’ll need to to get Encyclopedia Brown to solve the case.
This is heartbreaking story but also should concern EVERY area resident. Just a few weeks ago there was another story here about a homeless man beaten to death in Sabba Park by three thugs. The 108th precinct delayed reporting that incident and the case remains unsolved. By not reporting assaults and murders in a timely fashion, especially those where the thugs remain at large, the precinct is putting all of us in danger. I love Sunnyside and have nothing but great respect for the NYPD and police everywhere. But, it’s becoming clear that the 108th needs better oversight from 1 Police Plaza.
What a shame. Why don’t we see more of these in the news instead of seeing the same damn thing about someone losing $300 to a scam and help me howard knocking on their door and getting cops involved in petty crimes like those. It’s a damn shame. Also a shame that this story gets brought back and reminded while others like stuff Jane mentioned above goes by forgotten.
Whoever pinged Metro about this (if it is the rainbow flag group) why aren’t they as sensitive about other unsolved crimes? Do we need to have homeless rights activists in order to get older stories bumped back up, too? Once again, the whole thing, including unsolved crime of this individual is a damn shame.
This murder remains unsolved; police have not yet found missing child with autism (the security guard of the school who let him walk out of the building should be fired); and a Korean women was found stuffed in the trunk of her car. There is also the murder of a homeless man on Queens Boulevard. Murders and disappearances are difficult to solve unless it was done by somebody close to the victim but this is really ridiculous. It seems that the 108th is a really slipshod organization that likes patting itself on the back. If I were a relative of any of these victims, I would hire a private investigator if I had the money.
“For unknown reasons, police who responded to the scene where Rispoli was assaulted did not treat the area as a crime scene, neglecting to search for evidence or tape the area off. Once Rispoli was put in an ambulance, they simply left, …”
Seriously, this kind of negligence and incompetence makes the Keystone Cops look good. Someone needs to be held accountable.
Let me first say that I am very much am an advocate of denouncing the bullying of gays in the various ways that that occurs. And if we every find the murderers of Mr. Rispoli and it is shown that he was so brutally attacked specifically because he was gay, that ought to most certainly be taken into account when their sentences are handed down.
However, I am not sure that the mentioning of one’s sexual orientation when they are gay (it’s never done with someone who is straight) is actually helpful to this just cause for which I am an advocate.
My reason is based on the fact that there is something more fundamentally characteristic of any person than their sexual identity and that is their humanity. Essentially it is our humanity that is the grounds for being treated with dignity and respect (and for being protected from such diabolical and horrendous acts) not one’s sexual orientation.
As human beings we are of course sexual creatures and that is very much a fundamental aspect of our humanity. However, we are not ONLY sexual beings. We are much more than that. We are relational beings, we are emotional beings, we are moral and just beings and it seems to me that always pointing out the sexual orientation of someone in the news when they are gay, is actually a disrespectful, belittling of one’s value as a human being.
Push back. Tell me how I am wrong or missing something. 🙂
The cops blew it, it’s that simple. They’re not quite as diligent, meticulous and professional as we’ve become used to seeing on the CSI shows.
But hey, at least they’ve got their sights set on finding Banksy. I’ll feel so much safer when there is one less mysterious English stencil artist with a keen sense of irony roaming the streets.
Now if the Rispoli killers had parked in the wrong spot, there would have been a traffic cop there in a heart beat to issue a ticket.