Man On Trial For Anti-Gay Hate Crime Murder Blames Victim In Court

Mark Carson was shot to death in May 2011. His best friend is now forced to literally defend his actions in court, face-to-face with the accused murderer, who is acting as his own attorney.

In the second day of trial, Elliott Morales blamed Mark Carson for his own murder. Carson was shot to death, a single bullet to the face at close range, according to prosecutors, by Morales in May of 2011. Morales allegedly had walked by Carson and his best friend, Danny Robinson, said the two men looked like “gay wrestlers,” and called them “faggots.” Carson, as The New York Times has reported, wasn’t about to let that go unaddressed, and soon all three men were on a small Greenwich Village street when Morales pulled a gun and shot Carson dead.

In a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday, Morales, acting as his own defense attorney after firing four court-appointed public defenders, was able to stand before Robinson and accuse his best friend of being at fault for his own death.

“You knew that you and Mr. Carson were free to retreat at any time rather than inviting me to fight you,” Morales accused Robinson.

“That doesn’t make sense,” Robinson responded. “How can someone retreat when there’s a gun in their presence?”

“You could’ve avoided all of this from escalating to the level it did, had you and Mr. Carson just went along with your own business,” Morales accused. 

The New York Times reports “Robinson shook his head and spoke over a prosecutor’s objection.”

“That is so offensive,” he said.

The Times observes “Danny Robinson remained resolute as he sat in the witness box in a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday and fielded a barrage of questions from Elliot Morales.”

Morales, the Times adds, “suggested that he might have felt threatened when Mr. Robinson reached into his pocket for a cellphone to dial 911.”

“Is it possible that what happened was a reaction to the threat that was put on my own life when you followed me around a corner?” Mr. Morales asked over prosecution objections.

Mr. Morales also tried to chip away at Mr. Robinson’s credibility, bringing up small discrepancies in his testimony. Mr. Robinson seemed almost amused at the strategy.

“I may be a little off,” he said, “but I remember you shot him.”

 

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