Cops nab suspect in fatal $4M robbery at Upper East Side jewelry shop
A suspect in the cold-blooded murder and $4 million theft of an upper East Side jewelry store was busted Friday, prosecutors said.
Edmond Alma, 46, was hauled into Manhattan Criminal Court on stolen property charges in connection with the brazen Jan. 28 holdup that left one worker dead.
"My client is not the shooter, he was not in that jewelry store," Terrence Grifferty, Alma's lawyer, insisted to the judge, as he tried to get him released on a low bail.
But prosecutors, who demanded that Alma be held without bail, said they found $1 million worth of the baubles stolen from the Madison Ave. store, R.S. Durant, in Alma's apartment.
The brutal midday holdup on Jan. 28 left beloved store worker Henry Menahem, 71, dead, and cops had few leads - until they picked up Alma. Police sources said Alma -- who has not been ruled out as the shooter -- had 9 mm bullets in his home.
Cops will test the bullets to see if they are connected to shell casings at the scene, and they'll determine if his clothing has gun shot residue.
"Three million of the proceeds from that robbery is still outstanding," Assistant District Attorney Courtney Groves told the judge in explaining why she wanted to deny bail. She said, Alma, who has ties to the Dominican Republic, "may have access to that [money]."
Alma's lawyer, who said there was little proof the stones found in Alma's home were part of the robbery, said his client has just two misdemeanor arrests - from 20 years ago. "This is the profile of someone who is a killer - or a big player in theft rings," Grifferty said.
Prosecutors said they'd identified the gems as being from the heist.
Edmond Alma, 46, was hauled into Manhattan Criminal Court on stolen property charges in connection with the brazen Jan. 28 holdup that left one worker dead.
"My client is not the shooter, he was not in that jewelry store," Terrence Grifferty, Alma's lawyer, insisted to the judge, as he tried to get him released on a low bail.
But prosecutors, who demanded that Alma be held without bail, said they found $1 million worth of the baubles stolen from the Madison Ave. store, R.S. Durant, in Alma's apartment.
The brutal midday holdup on Jan. 28 left beloved store worker Henry Menahem, 71, dead, and cops had few leads - until they picked up Alma. Police sources said Alma -- who has not been ruled out as the shooter -- had 9 mm bullets in his home.
Cops will test the bullets to see if they are connected to shell casings at the scene, and they'll determine if his clothing has gun shot residue.
"Three million of the proceeds from that robbery is still outstanding," Assistant District Attorney Courtney Groves told the judge in explaining why she wanted to deny bail. She said, Alma, who has ties to the Dominican Republic, "may have access to that [money]."
Alma's lawyer, who said there was little proof the stones found in Alma's home were part of the robbery, said his client has just two misdemeanor arrests - from 20 years ago. "This is the profile of someone who is a killer - or a big player in theft rings," Grifferty said.
Prosecutors said they'd identified the gems as being from the heist.
Daily News
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