Prosecutors have dropped charges against a New York City man who beat his wife’s attacker to death with a tire iron.
The Bronx courtroom erupted into applause on Wednesday after Judge Marc Whiten announced the decision making Mamadou Diallo, 61, a free man.
“I’m happy for the American justice, and it’s the best way in the world, that’s what I say,” Diallo told reporters outside the courtroom.
Diallo’s tearful wife, Nenegale Diallo, expressed the same joy as she stood by her husband’s side.
“I think they did the right thing because he was defending me; that’s what a husband does,” she said.
Relatives of 43-year-old Earl Nash, Nenegale Diallo’s attacker, said both families had suffered long enough and recommended dropping the charges against Mamadou Diallo.
“While we cannot undo the damage that was done that evening, we hope to bring some closure not only to our family but to the Diallo family as well,” said Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Cruz, reading a statement from the Nash family. “As such, we wholeheartedly recommend that District Attorney Clark dismiss all charges against Mamadou Diallo.”
Nash forced his way into the Diallos’ apartment building on May 30, where he badly beat Nenegale Diallo and ripped off her clothes, according to investigators.
She was able to break free and call her husband for help on her cell phone. He responded by calling 911 and rushing inside with a tire iron, which he used to beat Nash in the building’s elevator as he tried to escape.
The medical examiner found cocaine in Nash’s system and declared his death a homicide, prosecutors said.
Diallo was charged with assault, criminal possession of a weapon and harassment. He was released on his own recognizance in June.