Two Convicted Murderers Released Without Bail in Manhattan

Recently, two convicted murderers were apprehended on suspicion of drug dealing in Lower Manhattan but were released without bail. This situation has been described as a “shocking example” of what some view as the state’s “disastrous, soft crime policy.”

Prosecutors opted not to request jail time for one of the suspects, citing the Bail Reform Act of 2019, which restricts judges from setting bail in drug trafficking cases unless there’s a significant risk of flight.

Among those apprehended is Carlo “Cano” Franco. He expressed to a reporter that his recent involvement with drugs was, in his words, a necessity to “support his son.” Franco’s criminal past is quite shocking.

In 2003, the then-27-year-old Franco shot and killed Dino Desimone during a robbery in the Bronx, leaving him with just a Toshiba laptop. Desimone’s widow later shared her feelings of devastation after the tragedy, stating, “I felt completely empty, like someone had ripped everything from inside me.”

Franco served 17 years for manslaughter and completed his parole last year. Yet, on July 3, he was arrested for the 15th time, caught dealing heroin near a clinic in Lower Manhattan.

The second individual, Jeffrey “They” Mackenzie, was also taken into custody on drug trafficking charges, which his attorney downplayed as “a minor crime.” Mackenzie, now 46, has his own grim history; he spent over 20 years in prison for the murder of his mother, Linda Sanders, during a robbery attempt at a laundromat.

Since his release in 2022, Mackenzie has reportedly faced at least four additional arrests, the most recent for selling crack cocaine.

Both men pleaded not guilty. The report detailed the complexities of the state’s bail laws, noting how, since reforms in 2020, New York is the only state where judges can’t consider a defendant’s criminal history or public safety concerns when deciding on bail.

Many community leaders are voicing their concerns. Trevor Sumner, president of the Washington Square Association, stated, “This is a complete breakdown of things that resemble logic and common sense.”