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Acquittal For Postal Worker Accused Of Killing Bicyclist Marilyn Dershowitz
By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 20, 2012
Modified Sep 20, 2012
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By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 20, 2012
Modified Sep 20, 2012
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The postal worker accused of fatally running over Marilyn Dershowitz, sister-in-law to famed attorney Alan Dershowitz, has been acquitted. Ian Clement, 64, faced up to seven years in prison on charges that he left the scene of the accident after killing Dershowitz, who was riding her bike by the US Mail sorting plant on Ninth Avenue in July 2011. Investigators initially said they "did not anticipate charges being brought" against Clement, as is the norm in NYC, but his attorney argued in court that Marilyn's prominent brother used pull to get the Manhattan DA's office to prosecute. (The DA denies this.)
Clement, who had been a postal driver for 28 years with a clean driving record, testified that he felt a "bump" as he ran over Dershowitz and her bike. Surveillance footage shows him pulling over, but after two minutes no one approached his truck, and he drove off. Prosecutor Erin LaFarge told jurors, "He knew, or should have known, that someone was hurt. He hears the horrified screaming of people behind him. He hears honking, sees people getting out of their cars. He does nothing."
But after just a few hours of deliberation, the jury found Clement not guilty of a single count of leaving the scene of the accident. Outside the courtroom, Clement told reporters, "My sympathies lie with the Dershowitz family." Marilyn's husband Nathan, a prominent attorney who was riding in front of her on the night she was killed, told the Post, "I’m a strong believer in the jury system. The jury gets its information and it makes its vote. I’m sorry I wasn’t part of the prosecution team."
Tagged
alan dershowitz
cyclists
marilyn dershowitz
reckless driving
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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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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