Kathy E <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: A millionaire's teen-age daughter pleaded guilty today to manslaughter, admitting she helped her young boyfriend attack a drinking buddy who was found stabbed to death in Central Park. The plea bargain promises 16-year-old Daphne Abdela a sentence of three and one-third to 10 years. She could have faced a life sentence if she had been convicted of second-degree murder. Prosecutors declined to say whether Miss Abdela, daughter of a prosperous businessman, had agreed to testify against co-defendant Christopher Vasquez, also 16, as part of the deal. Her lawyer said testimony was not part of the agreement. Miss Abdela has implicated him previously in statements to police. The baby-faced teens were accused of murdering Michael McMorrow, 44, last May after a night of partying in the park's Strawberry Fields section. McMorrow, a real estate agent, was stabbed 30 times, and his body gutted and dumped into a lake. As she entered her plea, Miss Abdela told the court she participated in the assault that ended in McMorrow's death. She says she struck McMorrow and he fell to the ground, and she then saw Vasquez pull a knife and stab him. She apologized to the victim's family and her own, thanking her parents, who were present, for their support. She did not mention any motive. Her lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, told the court he had considered using his client's alcohol intoxication as a defense, but decided it wouldn't be effective. Police allegedly found the pair washing the victim's blood off in a laundry room at the Abdelas' posh Upper West Side apartment building, where the neighbors include opera star Kathleen Battle. Miss Abdela had blamed the killing solely on Vasquez, a working-class former altar boy, suggesting he might have flown into a jealous rage over her friendship with the older man, whom she met at an alcohol rehabilitation class. The girl did acknowledge telling Vasquez to "gut him so he'll sink." -- Kathy E "I can only please one person a day, today is NOT your day, and tomorrow isn't looking too good for you either" http://members.delphi.com/kathylaw/ Law & Issues Mailing List http://pw1.netcom.com/~kathye/rodeo.html - Cowboy Histories http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/2990/law.htm Crime photo's Subscribe/Unsubscribe, email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of the message enter: subscribe/unsubscribe law-issues
