Edward Morales, the man accused of
killing Mark Carson in a homophobic rage in New York City's Greenwich
Village, on Tuesday entered a plea of not guilty.
According to court papers, prosecutors
said that Morales told police after the shooting that he fired
because Carson “thought he was tough in front of his bitch so I
shot him. Diagnosis is dead, doctor,” the New
York Daily News reported.
Police allege that Morales, 33, hurled
anti-gay epithets at Carson, 32, and a companion as they walked down
the street. He followed the men as they rounded a corner, then
pulled out a .38 caliber revolver and killed Carson with one bullet
to the head.
In other statements to police, Morales
insisted that he couldn't remember the incident.
The slaying rocked the neighborhood
known as the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement.
“This defendant is charged with
targeting and gunning down Mark Carson on the streets of Greenwich
Village because of his sexual orientation,” District Attorney Cyrus
Vance Jr. said in announcing the charges against Morales. “Mr.
Carson was murdered as he walked through a neighborhood that has long
been a center of the gay rights movement and home to many LGBT New
Yorkers, as well as a destination for LGBT visitors from around the
globe.”
“Bias-related crimes have no place in
New York City,” he added.