William Martin, accused serial killer Salvatore Perrone’s lawyer, leaves Brooklyn Supreme court today. (Riyad Hasan)
An accused Brooklyn serial killer who has repeatedly disrupted his court proceedings with his bizarre behavior and wacky claims fired his lawyer today — and now plans to represent himself.
Salvatore Perrone of Staten Island — charged with killing three Brooklyn shopkeepers in 2012 — told the judge that defense lawyer William Martin “has done zero in my interest. I can’t do any worse than what he’s doing.”
Martin appeared relieved to be off the case, and sat in in Brooklyn Supreme Court laughing at times during the hearing while Perrone, 64, rambled on before the Judge Alan Marrus.
“Try not to smile too much,” the judge told Martin at one point.
“This may be the first time in history, if he’s convicted, that the lawyer gets as much time as the client. A person who represents himself has a fool for a client,” Martin said later, repeating an oft-stated maxim. “I wish Mr. Perrone all the best.”
Perrone, who once claimed in court that he was a CIA operative, told Marrus that Martin told him he could get the death penalty, prompting a relative of one victim to snap ”You deserve it jerk!”
He also demanded subpoenas for surveillance video from Brooklyn subway stations he claims will prove he was not at crime scenes – even though one video clearly shows him at one of the locations, according to authorities.
Before granting his request to fire Martin, Marrus warned the defendant he was not doing himself any favors.
”If you represent yourself you will be going up against an attorney with much more experience than you,” the judge said, referring to prosecutor Melissa Carvajal.
“You are complaining about one of the best attorneys the court can give you. You are clearly confused. If that’s the road you want to go down I’ll allow it, but you going to have to follow the rules.”
Perrone remained defiant.
“I don’t have no videos, I don’t have no phone records. They’re going to be erased. I will have no alibi. Where are the videos? I could have 10 attorneys here…if there’s no videos how do I prove my alibi?” Perrone whined.
“You’ve got the wrong guy here, the video does not lie. This guy’s a fake, a liar, he’s running out the clock,” Perrone said about Martin.
Howard Kirsch, a criminal defense lawyer, was assigned to serve as Perrone’s adviser.
And he will need it, if his confused performance today is any indication.
I’m charged with six murders,” he exclaimed at one point – though he is actually charged with three.
Perrone is accused of three counts of first-degree murder for the slayings of Mohammed Gebeli, 65, in Bay Ridge on July 6; Isaac Kadare in Bensonhurst on Aug. 2; and Rahmatollah Vahidipour in Flatbush on Nov. 16. Gebeli was Muslim and the other two victims were Jewish.
He was found fit to stand trial in February after a court-ordered psych exam.