New City, NY – An 18-year-old student has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder in a case that has brought unusual attention to a Hasidic Jewish enclave in New York.
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Shaul Spitzer of New Square is accused of severely burning a neighbor, Aron Rottenberg, with gasoline on May 22. Rottenberg claims Spitzer was acting at the direction of the village’s chief rabbi because Rottenberg had stopped praying at the rabbi’s synagogue.
Spitzer was arraigned Friday in Rockland County Court on charges of attempted murder, attempted arson and assault. His lawyer entered not-guilty pleas to all charges. He said outside court that Spitzer did not intend to harm anyone or to burn down Rottenberg’s house.
He also said the chief rabbi had no involvement.
Spitzer was allowed to remain free on $300,000 until a July 28 court date. But he was ordered to stay away from the Rottenberg family. And the judge told him to meet with police later Friday for fingerprinting, which wasn’t done when he was arrested because of his hand injuries.
According to the Journal News, A lawyer for Shaul Spitzer said today he would provide a scenario explaining why Spitzer was at Aaron Rottenberg’s house at 4:15 a.m. May 22 with an incendiary device.
Lawyer Paul Shechtman spoke outside the Rockland County Courthouse, He gave no hint of the explanation today.
no he didn’t want to burn down the house he still had the gas from lag bomer fire.
so whats going to happen now? whats the next step in court?
The Defense will inevitably resort to an insanity defense…
you wait and see…
And if you believe that this lie is true……go ask the blind man, he saw it too!
i know what he will say july28th that he came to make a logbomer fire and just for fun he did it to be yoitze, and wanted rottenberg to dance with him to the burning fire.
so far we didnt hear spitzers side of the story
Here is the Lawyers scenario from my prospective.
1: The lawyers defense will definitely be related to Lag Bomer and Bon Fires. The lawyer will show the jury some of our ‘rabbanim picture magazines’ and how they are all lighting bone fires on this very day, and hanging out with incendiary devices. So nothing out of the ordinary here, right?
2: He was close to Rotenberg’s house due to the large wooded property, where he was looking for some excess wood, when Rotenberg seized the opportunity and tried to attack him with the incendiary device, because he knew he’s the rebbe butler and wanted to lash out on him.
3: He will further try to prove Spitzer’s innocence by presenting his non-criminal history, and how its irrational to think that such a good religious boy became an murderer overnight.
We should all hope that the jury consists of rational people.
One thing I could say with experience that this case would cost milions, Im just waiting for the appeal in B”M in the folowing weeks.
We will wait and see what baba masa the lawyer will find…
How did the fire start?? Children were not playing with matches and trhere was no Chanukah menorah in the window!! Give us a break!!
the point is that he already poured gasoline or some other chemical on the back pourch which the rottenbergs have on tape,
he also had this covering on his face that rottenberg was trying to remove,
another point it was already 4:30 am,
It’s going to very hard to explain why Spitzer was at Aaron Rottenberg’s house at 4:15 a.m.with an incendiary device. Why would anybody be at someones house at that hour? And who carries inceniary devices? But the lawyer will find a way to explain.
Early prep for July 4th celebration…proving Spitzer is a patriotic American. Everyone likes someone who waves the American flag and claims to be a loyal American. No?
Okay, he was going to prepare a surprise barbecue for the Rottenberg family but tripped on the stairs and spilled the gasoline (or whatever it was) and if Rottenberg hadn’t interfered Spitzer would have cleaned up the mess. It wasn’t an ‘incendiary device’ it was a starter for the barbecue. Still no?
I got nothing.
From last weeks write-up
“Spitzer regrets the criticism and spotlight brought onto the Skver Hasidic community’s grand rebbe”
Why would he regret anything if he didnt do anything?
Maybe he will connect it to lag buomer but since when do we wear something to cover the face on lag buomer, from whom was he ashamed to make a fire for lag buomer to cover his face?
one thing for sure the arsenist get measure for measure wether this world or next.
no supride here this is the defense lawyer job
This is a very defensible case. There are lots of reasons to be wandering around with an incindiery device at 4:15 AM. It was dark outside after all.
It has nothing to do with L’ag B’aomer. The Skver observe pesach shenei later than most other yiddim and he was there to help burn the chomtez. Please get your stories straight.
If this kid cared anything for anyone he would end this chillul H” now by confessing and agreeing to 15-20 years for attempted murder. Since he obviously doesn’t care about anyone or anything, he will stand before the secular courts and in front of the Yidden he tried to kill and LIE. That shows he cares for NOTHING. Put him in a cage where he belongs.
isn’t Skver the chasidus that “BURNS” the Sforim of Rebbe Nachman….
The defense will be along the lines of ” Spitzer was confused with the dates and his intent was to burn chometz. He was also confused with the time of day and thought it was erev pesach in the morning right before sof zeman achilas chometz.
It is a mitzvas asei de’oraisa – betzedek tishpot amisecha. The Torah demands that we judge every person generously, fairly and kindly. We have to be dan lekaf zechus, to give the benefit of the doubt.