Sunday, March 02, 2008

Charles Gilleo Jr Convicted of Killing Family and Burning Thier Home

After hearing from 50 witnesses, viewing over 200 pieces of evidence, jurors spent more than 37 hours over the course of four and a half days to enter a verdict of guilty on Charles Gilleo Jr, for murder, arson, perjury, conspiracy and armed robbery.
Charles Gilleo Jr. and Mark Serrano were accused of murdering Manuel and Tina Morey and then stabbing and bludgeoning their three sons, 13-year-old Antonio, 10-year-old Adam and 6-year-old Ryan, then setting fire to their home and car in an attempt to cover up their crimes.

Serrano was convicted last year on 31 first and second degree murder charges, as well as arson, robbery, conspiracy and perjury charges.

Serrano was linked to the murders by compelling forensic evidence, unlike Gilleo, who was convicted mainly on circumstantial evidence, according to District Attorney William V. Grady.

When the trial was over, the jurors had seen over 200 pieces of evidence, heard from over 50 witnesses and spent 37+ hours over a four and half day period, deliberating in the Dutchess County Courthouse, in Poughkeepsie, New York.

As Charles Gilleo Jr. was led out of the courthouse, in handcuffs, he looked over at Tina Morey's sobbing mother, Arlene Cortez, and other family members and said, "I didn't do this."

These murders occurred back in January of 2007 and as details started emerging it was discovered that Gilleo and Serrano were partners with Morey in a small, local drug operation dealing marijuana and cocaine and according to authorities Manuel Morey was a known crack cocaine dealer and user and had an arrest record for minor offenses.

The medical examiner's findings showed that Manuel Morey, the slain father, had died of a single gunshot wound to the neck, Tina Morey, the mother, died of gunshot wounds to the chest and head, and two of the children died of multiple stab wounds, the youngest child, Ryan, died of blunt-force trauma to the head.

Jeffrey Hoerter, Gilleo's attorney says that an appeal will be filed on this verdict.

County Court Judge Thomas J. Dolan set Gilleo's sentencing for March 13 and he could face the maximum penalty which would be five consecutive life sentences on the first-degree murder convictions.

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