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15-Year-Old Arrested in Bronx Man's Death
By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 28, 2008
Modified Dec 28, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 28, 2008
Modified Dec 28, 2008
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A 15-year-old girl has been arrested for the fatal stabbing of a 22-year-old man, whose body was found in a plastic bag, behind a Bronx building, last week. The Daily News reports, "Baby-faced Sharell Butler, known by pals as "Lady Red," was charged with murder, manslaughter and assault in the death of John Hopkins Drago, the adopted Russian son of a Bronx family."
The ME's office said Hopkins Drago had stab wounds on his head and body; the police say he was stabbed 40-50 times. Police suspect that Butler and Robert Pastore, 19, who is in custody, may have killed Hopkins Drago because they believed he told the cops about a robbery Pastore commited. A police source told the News, "We're going on the theory that he was killed because they thought he was a snitch."
Butler was also charged with second-degree murder, "in connection with the shooting death of a 24-year-old man during a home invasion this month in the Bronx," according to the NY Times, which added, "It was unclear whether there was any connection between the two killings." Butler allegedly was with another suspect when they tried to steal marijuana and cash from Christopher Umpierrie; the other suspect fatally shot Umpierrie.
Butler will be charged as an adult; the News reports Butler was "picked out of a lineup by witnesses in one of the crimes and identified by another witness from a photo array for the other murder." Butler's lawyer said, "She's just a 15-year-old girl and she's scared. She just wants to be with her mother right now."
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John Hopkins Drago
murder
robbery
Sharrell Butler
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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