Morgan Stanley banker accused of stabbing cabby waives jury trial
Morgan Stanley banker accused of stabbing cabby waives jury trial
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/01/us-usa-crime-banker-idUSBRE84019J20120501?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=60573
By Michelle Conlin
Tue May 1, 2012 2:17pm EDT
(Reuters) - The Morgan Stanley investment banker accused of stabbing a New York City cab driver in a late-night dispute over a cab fare on Tuesday waived his right to a jury trial, his attorney said.
In a brief pre-trial hearing in Stamford, Connecticut, Superior Court, William Bryan Jennings asked for a bench trial to be heard solely by a judge.
"This allows us to have the matter tried sooner than if we would have waited to have a trial by a jury, so this was a matter of expediency," said Eugene Riccio, Jennings' attorney.
Jennings pleaded not guilty in March to charges of intimidation as a hate crime, theft and assault. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 11 years in prison.