A Queens grandmother who suffered a skull fracture after being pushed down the steps of a church and robbed has little recollection of the attack, her son said. Her grandmother is calling for the teenage thug accused of attacking her to be charged with a crime. Adult.
“She seems to think she did something wrong,” Freddie Tagliambri told the Saturday Post. “She thinks this is her fault.”
Authorities say Irene Talianbris, 68, was pushed down the stairs by teenager Jayvan Prince at St. Demetrius Greek Orthodox Church in Briarwood on April 7, cracking her skull and damaging her brain. He is said to have suffered bleeding.
Prince, who attempted suicide after his arrest, was awaiting arraignment on Saturday.
“He has to take responsibility for his crimes as an adult, because that’s exactly what he’s doing as an adult,” said Freddie Talianbris, 51. “He needs to understand that what he did was not right.
“I believe that someone who commits this level of violence deserves a prison sentence.”
“As a 16-year-old, I cannot understand why my son would have so much violence and anger and do this to another human being,” he added.
Police sources said the boy was suspected of robbing a 50-year-old woman and stealing her car three days earlier, one of nine arrests made so far.
He was arrested twice on suspicion of misdemeanor assault, in December 2023 and again on February 2, 2023, according to law enforcement officials. He was also indicted on six counts of robbery in Queens in August, officials said.
“He should not have been released after his arrest,” his son said. “I mean, he’s been charged with a lot of other crimes.”
Law enforcement officials said the video shows him digging into his grandmother’s pockets, stealing her wallet, and driving off in a 2006 Nissan Altima as she lay at the foot of the church steps.
The son said he couldn’t bear to watch the footage of his mother’s attack, and said her mother was still in shock and seemed to remember little of what happened. The grandmother of two is currently recuperating at home.
“I couldn’t believe it, I couldn’t bear it, I couldn’t watch the video even once,” he said. “I don’t understand how people who live like us can be so cruel to others. I can’t believe it.”
The son believes that his mother was kind-hearted and would have gladly handed over his wallet.
“I really don’t understand this person’s ethics or what’s behind all of this,” he said. “He should have asked for the bag. My mother would have happily given it to him and there would have been no problem.”
He said his mother usually begins preparations immediately for the Greek Orthodox Easter holiday on May 5, but the long-term prognosis is not clear at this time.
“I pray every day that she makes a 100% recovery and gets back to normal,” her son said. “But it’s still not 100% clear for her as to whether everything will work well, whether her fingers will move, whether her legs will move. We just want everything to slowly return to her.” I hope it comes.”
Paul DiGiacomo, president of the Detective Fund Association, blames the state’s dysfunctional criminal justice system in part on a law that raised the age at which children can be prosecuted as adults in criminal cases from 16 to 18. said.
“Since the crisis began in 2019, New Yorkers have been asking for help, and the criminal union has been telling Albany and the City Council how to solve this problem,” he said. “If we want to prevent further tragedies, they will start listening.”
