The violent parolee charged with killing two men in a vicious 48-hour robbery spree should never have been freed — and Gov. Kathy Hochul is to blame, GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman said Tuesday.
Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, said the state parole board should never have released accused double-killer Jesus Acosta in April after he did 10 years in state prison for felony assault — and should not have been free to kill a beloved Brooklyn dad.
“I’m going to appoint people to the parole board who put safety first, who put community first, who care about public safety,” Blakeman told reporters outside America’s Best Wings and Pizza on Rockaway Avenue in Brownsville, where deli worker MD Yousuf was shot dead on Aug. 23.
State Assemblyman Michael Novakhov, from left, Norman Ramsey, Bruce Blakeman, Melvin Rivera and State Senator Steve Chan attend a press conference in front of American Best Wings & Pizza in the Brooklyn. Michael Nagle for NY Post
“What was the purpose of letting this violent felon out, and, obviously, they didn’t do their homework on what type of individual this was, because this individual committed two murders,” he said. “And just let out of prison by a parole board. How many families have to be hurt and torn apart before we get some sanity in our criminal justice system here in New York State?”
Acosta is charged with stabbing Yousuf during a robbery at the wings joint, striking the father of two in the head and wounding another man in the leg before running off.
Yousuf was rushed to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Police said Acosta wasn’t done, and allegedly robbed a bodega on 149th Street in the Bronx around 12:15 a.m. on Tuesday, where he is accused of shooting and killing 33-year-old customer Tayvon Shuler.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at a press conference on Tuesday, Sept. 1. William Farrington for The NY Post
Jesus Acosta, 31, is accused of killing two people during armed robberies just 48 hours apart. William Miller
The NYPD caught up with the ex-con at a Bronx park Saturday, and he is charged with both murders. The suspect now faces life in prison without chance of parole if he is convicted.
Blakeman said he should never have been on the streets in the first place.
Acosta was sent to state prison for shooting a 20-year-old man during a scuffle on a No. 2 train on May 5, 2015, and was later convicted of felony assault and weapons possession.
“Here in Brownsville, again, and up in the Bronx, we had a murder of two individuals,” he said. “It didn’t have to happen. That’s because of Kathy Hochul and her policies that have made us all less safe.
A vigil and memorial is set up for the 33-year-old man who was fatally shot inside of 143 East 149 Street. Kyle Mazza/Shutterstock
“And I will tell you right now, when I become governor, I am going to ask for the resignation of every one of those parole board members, and I’m going to appoint people who look after the safety of communities first, and the criminals last.”
Hochul’s office disputed Blakeman’s allegations, saying that Acosta wasn’t freed by a parole board.
“The County Executive either does not understand the law or is lying,” a spokesperson for the governor said in a statement. “This individual was released after serving his maximum sentence in state prison — not by a parole board.
“DOCCS is assisting the NYPD and Bronx DA in this investigation and the Governor believes he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
New York State Democratic Party Spokesperson Addison Dick also took a shot at Blakeman.
“Governor Hochul was crystal clear today: Donald Trump is defunding the police in New York – and now Bruce Blakeman is on the record defending him for doing it,” a spokesperson for the state Dem party said in a statement.
“Governor Hochul invested nearly $4 billion in public safety and put boots on the ground in our subways while Blakeman let violent crime spike to 10-year highs on his watch. That’s the difference in this race.”
Blakeman also cited the fatal stabbing of 32-year-old Bank of America executive Erin Piacenti and wounding of a 68-year-old tourist in Times Square on Monday, calling it “completely unacceptable.”
The knife-wielding suspect in that case, Pamela Cisneros, 49, was shot and killed by police when she lunged at cops in a dramatic caught-on-video encounter.