Woman whose son was fatally stabbed will testify at GOP’s New York crime hearing

Cami Mondeaux

April 12, 09:59 AM April 12, 09:59 AM

The House Judiciary Committee announced the witness list for its GOP-led field hearing that will focus on violent crime in New York City, with the line-up including a woman whose son was fatally stabbed roughly five years ago.

Republicans announced the hearing last week as a way to undercut the work of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, hoping to erode his credibility as he prosecutes former President Donald Trump on a number of criminal charges. The hearing will feature at least three witnesses, including the mother of a homicide victim, a bodega clerk who was wrongfully charged with murder, and an anti-crime activist, according to the Daily Mail.

DEMOCRATS PLAN TO JOIN GOP HEARING ON CRIME AND VIOLENCE IN NEW YORK

Madeline Brame, chairwoman of the Victim Rights Council, will testify before the committee, sharing a story of her son, Army veteran Hason Correa, who was reportedly stabbed to death by a group of attackers outside a Harlem apartment building in 2018. Two of the attackers secured a plea deal with Manhattan prosecutors, including Bragg, and another was released on time served.

Brame has previously spoken out against Bragg’s conduct in that case, accusing him of violating her “rights as a crime victim to be fully informed and to be heard,” according to a letter she sent the district attorney last summer. Brame said she was not informed of the plea deals until after they were accepted.

The committee will also hear from Jose Alba, a bodega clerk who was wrongfully charged with murder after stabbing a man who attacked him inside his store. Alba was arrested on a second-degree murder charge and sent to Rikers Island.

However, video showed Alba stabbed the attacker in what appeared to be self-defense, prompting calls to release the bodega clerk. Alba was later cleared after Bragg’s office asked a judge to drop the charges due to intense backlash from the public, including New York Mayor Eric Adams.

The panel will hear from a third witness, who is the leader of Victim Rights New York and has been an anti-crime activist in the city for several years. Jennifer Harrison has been vocal about the city’s criminal justice system for years, particularly after she said her boyfriend and best friend were killed in a double homicide.

Two of the attackers “went free” and the third was released after “just a few years,” she told the Daily Mail.

The hearing will be held on April 17 in the district represented by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), who is the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee. Democrats on the panel say they plan to attend in an effort to diminish the event as a political stunt.

The field hearing is the latest retaliation from House Republicans against Bragg’s indictment of Trump after the latter was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records earlier this month. Republicans have decried the charges as being politically motivated, vowing to investigate Bragg and his office.

Republicans on the Judiciary Committee subpoenaed former New York County Special Assistant District Attorney Mark Pomerantz to appear before the panel and testify about his previous involvement in the Trump investigation. Pomerantz initially led the inquiry before resigning last year over Bragg’s initial reluctance to move forward with the case.

Bragg later filed a lawsuit against Jordan on Tuesday, accusing the committee chairman of interfering with a local investigation. The district attorney claimed he has received several death threats because of Republicans’ attacks, accusing Jordan of orchestrating a “transparent campaign to intimidate and attack" him.