NEW YORK CITY: Confessed Killer Claims Gay Panic In Staten Island Slaying

Ronald Jones, 55, beat and strangled his friend Robert Jenkins to death on Saturday as the pair drank in Jenkins' Staten Island home. Yesterday Jones (left) told investigators that he killed Jenkins in a "rage" after an unwanted sexual advance.

Some of the victim's enraged relatives were so overcome by emotion after spotting the suspect in court, they had to be held back. "That was my father!" Thomas Jenkins, 38, said angrily. The suspect didn't respond. And he didn't make eye contact with the victim's 30 or so relatives gathered in court. When the judge denied Jones bail, mourners broke out in applause. Robert Jenkins, 68, a retired mechanic and grandfather of 11, was found dead early Saturday in his West Brighton home. He had been drinking cognac with Jones for hours. Jones was visiting from Maryland.

Staten Island Live reports that victim's son arrived at the home to find the killer passed out with his arm around his father's corpse. Jones has pleaded not guilty to the charge of second-degree murder, despite having confessed.

Quote Of The Day - James Molinaro

"Believe what our new governor, Andrew Cuomo, has been saying: that we have too many governments around the state and that we need to consolidate them and their services. No way is he going to create another county government in New York state. He is never, never, never, never, never going to sign a Staten Island secession bill into law." - Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro, responding to GOP state Sen. Andrew Lanza's renewed campaign for Staten Island to leave New York City.

In 1993 Staten Island residents approved a secession referendum, but the state legislature blocked it.

Kylie Minogue & The PS22 Chorus

Disco pixie Kylie Minogue dropped in on Staten Island's famed PS22 fifth grade chorus for a couple of numbers during her visit to NYC for the Macy's Parade.

Deep Jury Doody

If you're going to alter a jury duty summons with your dad's name on it so you can tell your boss you're on a vehicular homicide trial, you probably shouldn't leave the doctored summons on your office desk. And then brag about your vacation to fabulous Baltimore on Facebook.

A Staten Island human-resources manager with a history of financial scams doctored a jury summons to weasel out of work for a Baltimore getaway that included taking in a comedy show -- and now she faces up to 14 years in prison, authorities said yesterday. Rebecca Thybulle, 32, was nabbed after her boss found evidence on her desk -- while she was out for eight days on supposed jury duty -- that she had altered a juror summons originally sent to her dad, according to court documents. Thybulle was busted Tuesday after returning to the Amboy Road offices of Children's Home Intervention Programs, a state-funded program for autistic kids, said Staten Island DA Daniel Donovan's spokesman. She was ordered held lieu of $25,000 bond yesterday. Sources said Thybulle -- who claimed to be a juror on a vehicular-homicide case -- later tried to justify her cut-and-paste forgery job by saying, "I needed to take some personal time off. My boss would not allow me to without a good excuse, and even then would badger you about it."

(Image via Gothamist)

PS22 Chorus - Imagine

Staten Island's now world-famous PS22 fifth grade chorus covers John Lennon. Some of their earlier YouTube clips have had millions of views.

STATEN ISLAND: Hate Crime Victims Speak Out To City Leaders

At a meeting attended by state reps, city council members, and the NYPD, yesterday two gay men spoke out about about being the victims of an anti-gay assault at a Staten Island restaurant.

Luis Vieira, 47, and his partner, Richard Vieira, 39, addressed a meeting organized by the Staten Island LGBT Center, Tompkinsville, in response to the brutal beating to which they were subjected last week by a large group of African Americans at the White Castle restaurant on Bay Street. The NYPD is investigating the early-morning July 7 attack as a hate crime. In the presence of 70-plus supporters, the couple of 13 years' standing held hands and overcame some initial discomfort. Richard Vieira's eye was blacked and his arm was in a sling. "There are a lot of questions that need to be answered" in respect of the assault, said Luis Vieira, who noted that he grew up in Alabama when pro-segregationist George Wallace was governor. "[Do] you honestly think you can intimidate me or my partner to not put our face out there and let it be known what is going on in the community?" he asked rhetorically. The outrage has lit a fire under the LGBT community. "The fact we can still have hate crimes based on race, gender, ethnicity and sexuality -- it's disturbing," said Imani Rodriguez of Stapleton. "It is disturbing that my children are growing up in these times that I still have to watch my back and the back of my lesbian lover."

DOWNWASH: Ten Injured In Staten Island Fleet Week Helicopter Demonstration

Ten people were injured yesterday when a USMC Osprey helicopter landed in a Staten Island park, sending tree branches and debris rocketing into the waiting crowd.

A family-friendly Fleet Week demo took a horrible turn Monday when a $70 million Osprey sent folks ducking for cover. Screaming onlookers ran for their lives when the two-prop warbird, which flies like a plane and lands like a helicopter, turned broken tree limbs in a Staten Island park into dangerous projectiles. At least 10 people in the crowd of several hundred in Clove Lakes Park Preserve were injured with cuts, bruises and scrapes, and now city officials are asking whether organizers took the proper safety precautions. "It was a really scary and horrific scene. I'm all shook up right now and I can't stop shaking," said Yolanda Maiurrno, 80, of Staten Island, whose ankle was thwacked by a piece of wood. It looked like "two tornadoes," said Keith Carlsen, 46, of Staten Island. "The trees were bending and then branches broke." Air Force vet John Wilson, 72, was sent flying some 30 feet. "I closed my eyes and turned away and the air pressure hit me and had me rolling," said the Richmond Town resident after being treated for cuts on his head.

The Accents Of NYC's Five Boroughs

Some folks say there's no difference between the outer borough accents of NYC, but this audio guide seems to prove otherwise. They all sound dead-on to ME.

(Via - Gothamist)

Staten Island Ferry Crash Injures Dozens

The same Staten Island ferry aboard which 11 passengers were killed in 2003 has crashed into the dock again, resulting in 37 injuries.

According to Jim Long, a spokesman for the Fire Department of New York, 17 of the 37 have been transported to area hospitals. “The other 20 will be evaluated, treated and they could be transported to hospitals,” he said. Mr. Long said that one woman experienced chest pains and had difficulty breathing. She was taken to an area hospital. Charles Rowe, a spokesman for the Coast Guard, said that there were 252 passengers and 18 crew members on board. According to Mr. Rowe and Paul J. Browne, a New York Police Department spokesman, the crash occurred when the ferry’s engines appeared to malfunction and there was a loss of steering power. “As the ship was preparing to dock in Staten Island in St. George, there was a steering failure and the ship allided with the dock,” Mr. Rowe said. Among the injured were two police officers assigned to the ferry for security duties, Mr. Browne said.

I rarely ride the Staten Island ferry, but when I do I'm usually standing on the forward open deck of the lowest level. I should probably rethink that.