Fernando Bermudez was given a 23-years-to-life sentence for a 1991 shooting death in Manhattan. Bermudez said he was hanging out with friends that night and was nowhere near the scene. It wasn’t until a team of lawyers, including Mary Ann Di Bari of Pound Ridge, discovered a series of errors in the case that successfully exonerated him.

Click here to read the story by Journal News/LoHud.com reporter Dwight Worley.

Another change in the courthouse: the photo essay on the making of “The Rising,” Westchester’s stunning memorial to the county’s Sept. 11 victims, is gone. The photo array spanned the entire wall on the first floor, near the jury room, and told the story of how The Rising came to be, from original illustrations to construction. I wonder if it was taken down because it prominently featured former County Executive Andy Spano, who was voted out of office in November. I’ll let you know if and when I find the answers.

Accused wife incinerator Werner Lippe goes on trial again before Westchester County Court Judge Barbara Zambelli in mid-April, less that two months after a deadlocked jury caused a mistrial in the prosecution’s first attempt at a conviction. Click here to read the story.

The first trial got a LOT of press, so jury selection may be tougher this time around. I’m planning to pop in to see what questions they’re asking to get jurors that could be favorable to their side. Opening statements will be interesting as well, seeing if either sides change their strategy.

Bonistall was attacked on May 1, 2005 in her off-campus apartment at the University of Delaware, where she was a student. After raping and killing Bonistall, her attacker set the apartment on fire. The suspect, James E. Cooke, was convicted of the crime, but his conviction was overturned because of improper behavior by his lawyers.

Read the full story from my colleague Timothy O’Connor on LoHud.com

To read the full story, click here.

What do you think? Is DiFiore bluffing to protect her people or could the county lose some really good prosecutors if County Executive Rob Astorino makes them kick in for healthcare costs? Should it matter? Feel free to share your thoughts below.

What seemed on the surface to be a slam-dunk case — he confessed three times to killing his wife — turned into an uphill battle for prosecutors, thanks in no small part to defense lawyer Andrew Rubin, considered one of the best (if not the best) in Westchester County. His argument that Lippe was coerced into confessing, and his skills preparing lippe before taking the witness stand, created reasonable doubt in the minds of at least one juror (and from what I heard, several).

I called a few criminal justice experts on Saturday to get their thoughts about what happened and what needs to happen to avoid a second deadlock. To my surprise, they all took time out of their weekends and called me back. Thanks, guys! Click here to read that story.

So now everyone is wondering …. when is Lippe going on trial again? From what I hear, it may not be for several months. Rubin has another trial about to start, plus he and his partners have other clients to defend. Assistant District Attorneys John O’Rourke and Christine O’Connor also have other cases to prosecute. But both sides will meet this Thursday in the Trial Assignment Part court to discuss scheduling. As soon as I know more, you’ll know more.

Now that he’s been in office more than a year, the differences between him and his predecessor, former Chief Judge Judith Kaye, are beginning to show.

Click here to read the story

Click here to read my stories from the trial.

The jury sent out a note at 6:45 p.m. — a little over an hour into their deliberations — asking the judge for clarification on involuntary statements and about Miranda rights. Defense lawyer Andrew Rubin, in his three-hour closing statement, insisted that Lippe gave an involuntary confession to state police investigators because Lippe asked to speak to his lawyer twice and they kept talking to him. Lippe was given his Miranda warning (“You have the right to remain silent ….”) and asked point-blank if he really wanted a lawyer, to which he replied, “No, no hold on a minute.”

Westchester County Judge Barbara Zambelli called it a night at 7:30 p.m. and sent the jurors to a local hotel for the night. She is known for sequestering juries in murder trials. They will resume deliberations around 9:30 a.m. tomorrow

Lippe, 68, is on trial for allegedly murdering his wife, Faith Lippe, and burning her remains in a backyard burn barrel. Click here to read more about the trial.

We also found out more about the Lippe’s early years today. Faith Lippe was a FIT grad (that’s Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan for the uninitiated) and worked in the fashion industry as a seamstress before meeting Werner, whose two previous marriages lasted 2 years and 8 weeks, respectively. Their home mansion on Little Lake Road was built from scratch in the early 1990s, and they moved in just before their son, Andrew, was born in 1994.

We also found out about Werner Lippe’s vegetable garden, and his battle with various woodland creatures, including chipmunks, rabbits and deer. “I like them on my table, yes, but not eating my vegetables,” he said, offering a lighter moment in the trial.

We also heard about the $1.2 million, 7,000-square-foot log cabin that Lippe was building in Eden, Utah, where he planned to retire. It was supposed to be completed this year. He said Faith did not want to move there in 2008, but he built a sewing room for her in case she changed her mind.

While on the stand today, Lippe had a cold — he spent the entire day blowing his nose and taking throat lozenges. He finished testifying today and will return on Tuesday, when the case will go to the jury.

However, the Westchester County Courthouse was opened today for people who had business with the county clerk, the county probation department and the section of Family Court that issues emergency orders of protection.

Supposedly, they’ll be back on schedule tomorrow.