The man arrested in the alleged slaying of a homeless man in Washington, D.C., who is also a person of interest in a homicide of a second vagrant man in New York City is a “good person” who has been let down by the judicial system that has failed to treat his mental illness, his father said.
Gerald Brevard III, 30, who was arrested Tuesday in the nation’s capital on recommended charges of first-degree murder, assault with intent to kill and assault with a dangerous weapon, has had brushes with the law but the judicial system has failed to recognize his mental illness, his father, Gerald Brevard Jr., said in a statement Wednesday.
“He is a good person and like many across the world, he suffers from mental illness. The bigger picture is not that he has mental illness, but the number of times that he’s been within the judicial system and how the system has failed regarding the treatment of so many, including my son,” the elder Brevard said.
He added that he only recently learned of his son’s arrest and doesn’t know details of the allegations against him.
Brevard has been homeless and lived among the vulnerable population he is accused of attacking, according to his grandfather, Gerald Brevard Sr.
Brevard Sr. told NBC New York he is hurt by the allegations against his grandson.
“My grandson has suffered with mental problems for a while, so I just hate that anything like this happened,” Brevard Sr. told NBC New York. “I’m hurt. … and like I said, I offer my prayers and condolences to the victims.”
He added: “I’m deeply saddened about the victims. Everyone that was injured and killed. My condolences to the families of the victims.”
Authorities in Washington D.C. and New York City have said Brevard is suspected in five attacks on homeless men while they slept in the cities beginning March 3. The violence included a fatal shooting and a stabbing in the capital March 9 and a deadly shooting of second homeless man Saturday in Manhattan, police said.
The attacks prompted an intense search, with officials in both cities pleading with the public to help them get the man off the streets. Authorities had offered up to a $70,000 reward for information that led to the arrest and conviction of a suspect.
Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert J. Contee III said a tip on Monday led detectives to a suspect living in the district. They zeroed in on him further after discovering images of the man at a district ATM on March 9, the same day one of the victims was found.
“We’ve got our man,” the chief said during a press conference.
Separately, police Capt. Kevin Kentish happened to spot the same person in a photograph from New York posted to social media, Contee said.
The discovery may tie the suspect to crimes in both cities, a connection bolstered by ballistic evidence that proves the same gun was used in all five attacks, Contee said.
At a Manhattan press conference Tuesday, New York Police Department Chief of Detectives James W. Essig described the man in custody as both a suspect and a person of interest, and said a further determination would soon be in the hands of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
“We don’t have enough to make an arrest,” he said.
Brevard has a criminal history that includes an alleged assault on a woman in Virginia, a senior law enforcement official who initially identified him told NBC News.
That history dates back to at least 2009, records show: He has been charged with assault, attempted robbery with a deadly weapon, burglary, fraud and identity theft.
Brevard’s mental competency has been called into question during at least two criminal cases against him. In a 2019 assault case in which he was found competent, he pleaded guilty and released from probation last year.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington D.C. said Brevard is expected to make his first appearance in court Wednesday afternoon.
Jonathan Dienst contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
