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Gyro Line Cut Murder Witness Recants Previous Statements
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 15, 2009
Modified Dec 15, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 15, 2009
Modified Dec 15, 2009
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A man who witnessed his young friend's murder after a dispute at a popular Halal chicken and gyro street stand has admitted that he lied to police about the incident. Chandradat Deodat, 23, of Jersey City, was with the victim, 19-year-old Tyrone Gibbons, and his brother Shannon on the night in October 2006 when the trio cut the line at the food stand at 53rd and Sixth. An argument ensued with the man behind them, Ziad Tayeh, who is accused of stabbing Gibbons to death after a car chase. But yesterday Deodat may have complicated things for prosecutors.
Deodat, who was guaranteed immunity from prosecution for telling the truth on the witness stand yesterday, confessed, "I lied about who drove the car, about who cut the line and which car cut the other one off. I know I lied. I don't know how many lies I told." Deodat said he concocted the story to protect Shannon, who'd been driving with a suspended license. Deodat also admitted that the trio's car cut off Tayeh's SUV, all when the four men got out Tyrone grabbed Tayeh's hat and punched him. His testimony would seem to bolster Tayeh's self-dense claim; he insists he only stabbed Gibbons after his brother put a knife to his throat.
Tagged
gyro
line cut
midtown
murder
nyc
trial
tyrone gibbons
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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