Murder suspect must get new lawyer
(Bridgeport-AP) _ A Superior Court judge has ruled that a suspect in the murder of an eight-year-old boy and his mother must get a new lawyer.

Judge George Thim decided that Gary Mastronardi can no longer represent Russell Peeler Jr. after prosecutors argued Wednesday that Mastronardi leaked information to his client that led to the slaying of Leroy "B.J." Brown Jr. and his mother, Karen Clarke.

Peeler and his brother are charged with killing Leroy and Clarke on Jan. 7.

Leroy was scheduled as a witness against Peeler in the May 29, 1998, slaying of Rudolph Snead Jr.

State's Attorney Jonathan Benedict said it is almost a "sure thing" that Mastronardi will be called to testify in the slaying case of Leroy and his mother.

Leroy and Clarke were killed two weeks after a judge ordered the state to turn over the boy's name and statement to Mastronardi on the condition that he not share the information with Peeler.

Mastronardi said the information he received gave only the boy's old address. He said he and Peeler already knew from the arrest warrant that the state had an unnamed witness.

Benedict said that B.J. and his mother were safe while they remained unidentified.

"But within two weeks of the state making Mr. Mastronardi aware that B.J. was the witness, they are victims of a double homicide," he said.

Mastronardi denied the claims that Leroy and Clarke were killed on Peeler's orders to eliminate the boy witness.

"In my 16 years of practicing law I have never seen a lawyer disqualified from representing a defendant in a criminal case based on such nebulous claims by the state," Mastronardi said.

(Copyright 1999 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Today's News Page.

WTNH Home Page.

©1999 WTNH/WTNH-DT
A LIN station.