From the heart of the Tri-State area, Street Love.
You're watching News 2.
Here's what's new tonight at 11.
A shameful act is uncovered inside this apartment building.
Police catch two thieves caught stealing from a dead man.
Good evening.
The worst part is the accused thieves are city workers.
Police say the men were sent over to remove the body, then saw an opportunity and went
after it.
Tonight, the dead man's family is horrified someone would try to steal from him.
News 2 reporter Paul Flouranches has the latest live from Kings County Hospital in Crown Heights.
Paul?
Dana, it is truly an unthinkable crime, stealing from the dead.
But tonight, that's exactly what two morgue workers assigned here to Kings County Hospital
are charged with.
Still mourning from his loss, Matthew Battelle reluctantly spoke to News 2 about what police
say morgue attendants did while preparing to remove his dead brother Gregory's body
from the family's East 28th Street home.
It's crude and I don't believe they did it, but I didn't see it and I didn't wait to see
it.
That's the least of my problems.
According to police, Brooklyn morgue attendants Edward Rodriguez and Ruben Berrio stole small
items from Battelle's apartment, items they could steal away with his body.
Their plot foiled by a police officer from the 61st Precinct because as is procedure,
a police officer was assigned to guard Battelle's unattended body until the medical examiner
could remove it.
When the two attendants arrived here, they allegedly asked the officer guarding Battelle's
body to take some paperwork to their van.
When she returned downstairs, she noticed a nylon bag inside the body bag with Battelle.
When she asked them to remove it, she quickly realized it contained some of the dead man's
belongings.
A portable tape player, headphones, fanny pack, flashlight and three dollars were inside
the bag.
It's a crime Battelle's surviving brother finds hard to believe.
Police officer saw this, yeah, I don't know, I didn't see anything myself at the police
officer.
News of the crime horrified family friend Angelo Young.
I can't believe that.
Pretty low?
Very low.
That's the lowest thing I ever heard in my life.
Neighbor Janet Musumichi agrees.
It's like you can't even die in New York in peace.
Exactly, exactly, you're not allowed.
And if you do, they steal from you, alive or dead.
Matthew Battelle told me tonight he was more concerned about laying his brother to rest
than passing judgment.
We contacted the medical examiner's office for a comment but got a flat no comment.
Ruben Barrios, a 22 year veteran of the office and Edward Rodriguez stand charged tonight
with petty larceny and official misconduct.
Reporting live from Kings County Hospital, Paul Floranges, News 2.
Paul, thank you.
Tonight, five police officers from Orange are indicted on civil rights charges in a
suspect's death.
The man was wrongly accused of killing a cop, Officer Joyce Carnegie.
She was gunned down last year as she approached a robbery suspect.
27 year old Earl Faison was arrested three days later.
Police thought he looked like this sketch of the suspect.
The indictment says the officers beat, robbed and pepper sprayed Faison all while he was
handcuffed.
Tonight, Faison's parents talked about the indictments.
We're just happy to see, you know, that things are moving up and we just have to be patient
a little while longer because justice will prevail.
I'm glad something is finally coming of the situation.
I understand that it was a hard and tough situation from the beginning under the circumstances.
Earl Faison died less than an hour after police took him into custody.
Another suspect later confessed to killing Officer Carnegie.
Francisco Rosario has become the sixth New York City police officer to either be convicted
or plead guilty in the Abner Louima torture case.
Rosario was found guilty of lying to investigators.
Prosecutors say he lied about the torture of Louima in a station.
unknown stolen.