Rapist NYC doctor victims ask court to uphold verdict after suicide
Victims of a Manhattan neurologist who killed himself on Rikers Island after he was discovered responsible of raping his sufferers stated they hope he rots in hell Wednesday — as they begged the court docket to uphold his conviction.
Six girls who had been abused by disgraced Dr. Ricardo Cruciani whereas they had been his sufferers requested Manhattan Choose Michele Rodney to disclaim a movement from protection attorneys asking that his conviction be tossed on the grounds that he’s useless.
“The concept of getting this verdict tossed out is sort of a dagger to my coronary heart,” stated Hillary Tullin, who testified that Cruciani sexually abused her whereas treating her for a debilitating ache situation within the early 2000s.
“What do you say to somebody who’s useless and robbed you [of the ability] to have justice? He stole my company and sense of autonomy,” she stated.
On the time of his obvious suicide on Aug. 15, Cruciani was awaiting sentencing and confronted as much as 25 years to life in jail. That meant his case was technically nonetheless pending when he died, permitting for his responsible verdict and indictment to be thrown out below New York regulation.
“Please your honor I urge you… two weeks in jail just isn’t sufficient time for what he did to me,” stated one sufferer, who didn’t determine herself by identify.
“I can solely assist there’s hell so he can rot there,” she stated by means of tears, calling Cruciani “Dr. Evil.”
The lady stated since she was abused by Cruciani, she not goes to the physician for medical points.
“I’m not dwelling, I’m not surviving. I’m simply current. I hardly ever go away my condo,” she stated.
“I’m actually fighting the actual fact he won’t ever go to jail or be punished for what he did to me and so many others for all these years…He took away my likelihood and my 5 co-witnesses likelihood to face him as a convicted felon. I really feel victimized once more… suicide was simply one other egocentric act.”
Tanisha Johnson, who was abused by Cruciani whereas a affected person of his at Beth Israel, stated the fees shouldn’t go away simply because the wicked doc opted to “take the coward’s means out.”
“Closure for me was going through him in court docket. I don’t have that choice now,” she stated. “Please don’t permit him to assault me once more in dying. Eradicating these costs tells each single girl he assaulted, oh effectively, transfer on. If solely it was that easy.”
Cruciani was arrested greater than 4 years in the past after no less than 17 sufferers got here ahead to accuse him of misconduct throughout his time at Beth Israel Medical Middle and later at services in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Throughout his trial this summer time, prosecutors described Cruciani as “evil in a white coat” and informed jurors he was “a small, devious man who might have used his very smart methods for good as a substitute of unhealthy.”
For greater than a decade, prosecutors stated, Cruciani handled sufferers with uncommon illnesses and power ache after which received them hooked on extremely addictive ache remedy so he might coerce them into performing sexual acts in change for the medication.
Following his trial, Cruciani was convicted on 12 counts of third-degree rape, sexual abuse, tried rape, predatory sexual assault and legal sexual act.
One girl who didn’t determine herself, implored the court docket to “not undo” all of the work it took to convict Cruciani.
“I assumed this was lastly over,” the lady stated.
“He took his personal life and with this one egocentric act he robbed his victims of justice and closure. Regardless of his dying, he nonetheless lives on in my nightmare. Even from the grave Mr. Cruciani seeks to disrupt my life… His grip is round me once more, controlling my present state of affairs and my life.”
Justice Rodney didn’t rule on the movement throughout the listening to and is anticipated to decide at a later date.
