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College Student's Brooklyn Murder on Trial
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 15, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 15, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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Almost two years ago, Mark Fisher's body was found on Argyle Road, "wrapped in a blanket, shot five times in the torso and dumped near the curb," after an evening of partying. It was a mysterious incident, a white college student from the NJ suburbs and a Connecticut college found murdered in Brooklyn, but now a trial has begun and it seems that Fisher was killed for a number of reasons: Sitting on someone's table (a sign of disrespect), to "bolster" a fledling street gang's credibility and/or $20 from an ATM. Antonio Russo and John Guica are accused of murdering Fisher, with Guica the "so-called Tony Soprano" of the "Ghetto Mafia" (it was his table that Fisher sat on while drunk). Apparently Fisher had met up with an old friend who eventually introduced him to Guica; a group of people went to Guica's house to stay over because some had missed a train. (The Times had the drama of the prosecutor's description of the moment: "That's when the worlds very slowly began to collide, and fate began to play its unfortunate hand.") Russo and Guica also allegedly said they didn't like the "preppy college kid"; none of the articles expressly describe any class or race differences, but that seems to be the subtext.
Russo's lawyer is reminding the court that there were no witnesses or murder weapon and Guica's lawyer says Guica didn't approve of the shooting. Russo apparently confessed to shooting Fisher after seeing a story about the murder in the Post. Gothamist wouldn't it put the Post to use that in an advertising campaign.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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