Faces Life Behind Bars

Convict Detectives' Murderer

By REUVEN BLAU

ROBERT L. PARKER

A Brooklyn jury Feb. 2 convicted Marlon Legere of first-degree murder for killing two veteran police detectives who were responding to a domestic violence call outside his mother's home in East Flatbush.

Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said the verdict was "a ray of brightness through the clouds." Mr. Legere faces 25 years to life in prison for killing Detectives Robert L. Parker and his partner Patrick H. Rafferty.

Mother's Distress Call

On Sept. 10, 2004, the officers responded to a call from Mr. Legere's mother, who sought help with her abusive son, who was using her car without permission. Mr. Legere had been convicted of attempted assault, sexual abuse, and other crimes. Detective Parker, a 22-year veteran of the NYPD from Brooklyn, was familiar with his long rap sheet.

 When the Detectives arrived, they found Mr. Legere sitting in his mother's car. Mr. Legere grabbed Detective Parker's 9-millimeter Glock handgun and fatally shot each officer four times. But before they died, Mr. Parker told a 911 operator where to find a picture of Mr. Legere in his patrol car, and Mr. Rafferty chased him down the street and shot him in the foot.

PATRICK H. RAFFERTY

"The deaths of Detectives Robert Parker and Patrick Rafferty tragically illustrated the many dangers that the men and women of the NYPD face on a daily basis," Mayor Bloomberg said in a statement. "We can only hope that this verdict helps achieve a measure of justice for their families and the loved ones they left behind."

DEA: No Parole

Mr. Legere's attorney argued that his client didn't know the Detectives, who were dressed in suits, were cops. He also contended that Mr. Legere believed he was being robbed.

"I am happy that the jury did not accept the justification theory presented by the defense team," said Michael Palladino, the president of the Detectives' Endowment Association. "The jury recognized that Legere wantonly took the lives of two of the finest members of the NYPD that this city has ever seen."

Mr. Palladino added that he believed Mr. Legere should be sentenced to death. "If any case deserves the death penalty, it is this one," he contended. The New York State Court of Appeals, however, has ruled that the death penalty as currently structured is unconstitutional.

Instead, Mr. Palladino urged Justice Anne G. Feldman to sentence Mr. Legere to life in prison without parole. "I feel that Legere should remain behind bars for the rest of his natural life," he said.