Black woman accused of mugging 103-year-old White woman has 27 prior arrests
Woman accused of mugging 103-year-old has 27 prior arrests
By Khristina Narizhnaya and Daniel Prendergast
April 3, 2016 | 4:27pm
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(Pictures at link.)
Louise Signore and Sharon McNeil Photo: Tomas E. Gaston; Christopher Sadowski
The mugger who shoved a 103-year-old woman and robbed her — swiping her magnifying glass, bingo cards and food she was bringing home from a local senior center — was arraigned Sunday and held on $100,000 bail.
Suspect Sharon McNeil didn’t say a word as a prosecutor described the details of the disturbing assault against elderly Louise Jean Signore on Friday.
“She stands accused of targeting a vulnerable individual, a 103-year-old woman, 49 inches tall,” said Assistant District Attorney Michael Duffy.
“The defendant followed the complainant from a local community center. The defendant waited for her to get her mail, followed her into the elevator, then got off the elevator, pushed her and took her property.”
McNeil also garnered little sympathy from Judge Ralph Fabrizo, who referred to the act as “elder abuse.”
“People prey on old, fragile individuals because they believe that they won’t come forward,” he said.
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Outside Signore’s apartment Photo: Tomas E. Gaston
Signore, who weighs just 99 pounds, was returning to her Co-op City home after her daily exercise session at the nearby community center when McNeil followed her onto the elevator, authorities said.
When they reached the eighth floor, McNeil allegedly followed her victim out and pushed her down, causing the old woman to hit her head on the floor.
McNeil then snatched a cart the woman had been pushing which contained around $35, a magnifying glass, bingo cards and a photo of her brother, police said. The thief also snatched two meals the woman had brought home from the senior center.
A neighbor who heard Signore’s calls for help came out and found her on the ground and called 911.
While investigating the crime, cops used several surveillance cameras to track McNeil’s steps out of the victim’s building and all the way back to her Allerton home.
Her lawyer, Elliot Shapiro, said the evidence is merely circumstantial since the actual crime was not caught on camera.
“The video doesn’t show the crime,” he said, referring to his client, who has 27 prior arrests, including one for prostitution in 2013.
“It’s a circumstantial case by video. It’s not always easy to make an ID.”
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