This has got to be the cruelest joke the widow of a Brooklyn cop killed in the line of duty by a firebug could have faced.
One of the family members of 16-year-old mattress-burning suspect Marcell Dockery — whose blaze led to 38-year-old NYPD Officer Dennis Guerra’s death — came to court wearing an FDNY trainee pullover emblazoned with the words “FDNY PREP” and with “Dockery” embroidered on the breast. The Dockery supporter also wore a baseball cap sporting the FDNY EMS logo.
Dockery, 16, pleaded not guilty to a murder charge for allegedly setting a mattress on fire in a Coney Island apartment building hallway, sparking the blaze that trapped and killed the father of four and severely wounded his partner, Police Officer Rosa Rodriguez, 36, on April 6.
The young man wearing the FDNY gear is the defendant’s older cousin, Tyquan Dockery, 18, sources said.
He’s a senior at FDNY High School for Fire and Life Safety in Brooklyn, which grants successful seniors entry into the FDNY EMS academy so they can become FDNY EMTs and firefighters, an FDNY spokesman said.
“The student should have been in school today and he should not have attended the arraignment in the uniform,” an FDNY spokesman said.
“School personnel will speak to him and remind him that the uniform is to be worn only for school and school-related events.”
When the teen suspect walked into court, it was the first time the Guerra family had ever seen the man accused of killing their loved one.
Guerra’s widow, Cathy, and another family member bowed their heads and sobbed in court as Prosecutor Howard Jackson said, “The defendant stands before the court charged with murder for causing the death of Police Officer Dennis Guerra.”
Guerra’s mother, Miriam, was also in the courtroom, which was packed with solemn police officers there to show support.
And court papers made public Thursday revealed Dockery’s confession to the crime.
“I started the fire by using a lighter to set a mattress on fire … I was once shown a video about starting fires,” Dockery told cops when he was arrested, the court papers stated.
Dockery’s defense attorney insisted his client was innocent and had given a false confession because he was questioned at great length in a windowless room.
“Young Marcell will be able to tell a jury about the circle of hell he was subjected to in that interrogation room,” defense attorney Jesse Young said.
When Dockery — dressed in a brown prison jumpsuit — walked out of court, he gave a small wave with his cuffed hands to his family members.
“Don’t be fooled by the young face. His actions were serious and were adult actions that caused death,” said police union president Patrick Lynch.
“[Guerra’s] family lives with that loss every day. Their strength inspires all NY that they can come into this courtroom and sit calmly on the pews with the person that took their loved one directly in front of them.”
Dockery also pleaded not guilty to a March robbery.
Rodriguez, a mother of four, is still in the hospital in serious condition, Lynch said.
Dockery was charged with assault for her injuries and pleaded not guilty to that charge as well.