There are no words.
A blind, deaf and stupid Brooklyn jury yesterday gave a vicious break to Lamont Pride, the remorseless piece of human pond scum who murdered fine Police Officer and Daddy Peter Figoski. Just because he could.
Jurors decided, hey — you didn’t mean it, Lamont!
And with as much thought as you or I would give to ordering Chinese food, jurors found Pride guilty only of second-degree murder, burglary and aggravated manslaughter, while acquitting the slimebucket of the more serious charge of first-degree, intentional murder. That would have put him away for life without a chance of again seeing daylight.
Now, Pride, 28, will be a man in his prime when he becomes eligible for parole, after working out in the prison gym for 25 years or less.
Now, Officer Figoski is in the ground, while Pride counts the days until he walks free.
This is a travesty beyond compare.
In the second row, Figoski’s four beautiful daughters and their mom looked stunned and sat, unblinking, as the dastardly verdict was read. As she left the courtroom, Figoski’s ex-wife, Paulette, began to cry.
This family has been through so much, for so long. Now this.
Jurors took pity on Pride, who deserves nothing but contempt. During the excruciating trial, Pride buddy Ariel Tejada testified that Pride brought a gun as he joined four monstrous buddies to rob a pot dealer in East New York on the fateful night of Dec. 12, 2011.
While still in a car being driven by alleged co-conspirator Michael Velez, said Tejada, Pride loudly “racked’’ the weapon — pulled the slide and got it ready to shoot. As clearly as daylight, he intended to kill.
What more did jurors need to give Pride the max?
But this jury bestowed on Pride more sympathy and respect than the savage beast ever gave Officer Figoski.
They had a choice. And they chose to give Pride every advantage, and then some.
They chose to believe Tejada was a liar.
The events of the dark and sinister night in question are a tragedy that did not have to happen.
Officer Figoski was among police officers who arrived at a dark and decrepit house to investigate the burglary. He went down some stairs and encountered Pride, who could have given himself up.
Instead he shot Officer Figoski in the face. The devoted father, a cop who really believed in the good people of the community he served, died at a hospital.
For what?
Pride chose not to testify in his own defense. And still, jurors decided to believe one of the many excuses Pride gave for his despicable actions in videotaped statements to police.
I didn’t mean it! The gun went off by accident!
Pride won’t pay dearly enough. In the next life, he will.