Cop Shooters Now Cop Killers, Family Calls For Death Penalty
The three men arrested in connection with last Mondays tragic Crown Heights traffic stop [police shootings] were arraigned on[ first-degree murder charges](http://www.1010wins.com/pages/689139.php) yesterday and ordered held without bail following the death of Russel Timoshenko, one of the two police officers shot during the attack. Timoshenko [died Saturday from his injuries](http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/15/nyregion/15officer.html?_r=1&em&ex=1184644800&en=417fe7854ac369d9&ei=5087%0A&oref=slogin) with his parents at his bedside. The 23-year-old was hit twice in the face and was on life support, suffering from brain swelling.
The suspects will now face life in prison without parole if they are convicted. But the [grief-struck parents] say that isn't enough. Here is what a source close to the family told the Post: The family doesnt want them in jail. They want them to never see the light, to never move their bodies again. In an effort to achieve that goal, Patrick Lynch, President of the [Patrolmens Benevolent Association](www.nycpba.org/), is calling for the case to become a [federal prosecution](http://www.nypost.com/seven/07172007/news/regionalnews/victims_kin__kill_em_cops_parents_demand_death_penalty_for_slayers_regionalnews_alex_ginsberg__jana_winter_and_andy_geller.htm) so that the men are eligible to face the death penalty, which is prohibited under State law.
But there may be an easier way for the vengeance-seekers seeking something more satisfying than jail time. As [we told you] in May, the New York State Senate has been pushing for the adoption of a Death Penalty Bill that would reestablish the death penalty in New York for criminals who kill police officers. Yesterday, the State Senate passed the bill for a second time, sending it back to the assembly for vote.