NY CRIME BRIEFS

Closing arguments in sex-trafficking case

A defense attorney for a suspected pimp says sometimes women choose to be prostitutes and enjoy the lifestyle.

Attorney Howard Greenberg said the women who worked for his clients were literally "happy hookers." Closing arguments were being held Thursday in a sex-trafficking case in Manhattan.

Some of the women testified in court. They said they enjoyed a comfortable suburban life in Pennsylvania. At night, they commuted to work in Manhattan.

But prosecutors say the women were coerced into prostitution by a father-and-son team that threatened them with beatings, withheld money and referred to them as animals.

Vincent George Sr. and Vincent George Jr. have pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking, money laundering and other charges.

Murder charge for boyfriend of killer

The NYPD said a woman who went to prison for killing a relative has been stabbed to death by her boyfriend.

Katherine Seeber was released from state prison in July after serving 12 years for killing her step-great-grandmother, Ruth Witter, 91. Police accused Seeber and her then-boyfriend, Jeffrey Hampshire, of strangling Witter during a botched robbery in Albany in February 2000 and then dumping her body near a national park in rural Saratoga County.

Seeber pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. Hampshire was acquitted.

Police said Pedro Sanchez, 38, killed Seeber, 31, Tuesday in her Queens apartment.

Sanchez, who police say is homeless, is charged with second-degree murder. It couldn't initially be learned if he has a lawyer.

Suspect in custody in stray-bullet death

A suspect is being held without bail in the stray-bullet death of a teenager on a Queens bus.

The office of Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said Kevin McClinton, 21, was arraigned Wednesday night. He was taken into custody in Cayse, S.C., about 6 a.m. Tuesday.

D'Aja Robinson, 14, was shot through a bus window last month. She had just left a Sweet 16 party. Police say the gunman had been aiming for a woman near the girl but struck her instead.

McClinton faces charges of second-degree murder, reckless endangerment, and illegal weapon possession. He's being assigned a lawyer for his next court appearance on June 19.

Police arrest suspect in home invasion

The NYPD says they have arrested one of the men involved in an attempted home invasion where a 10-year-old boy fired a gun dropped by one of the intruders.

Police say Jayquan Straker, 24, was arrested Thursday on a robbery charge. Police say Straker is one of the two men dressed as delivery men who barged into a Brooklyn house Monday.

Police say a woman slammed a second-floor door on one of the would-be robber's arms.

Police say he dropped his gun and the woman's 10-year-old son picked it up, firing a round that hit a wall.

One of the suspects fired back, but no one was hit and the suspects fled. Nothing was taken from the apartment.

Police are investigating. Attorney information for Straker was not immediately available.

Driver in death of girl 'good kid,' says lawyer

The attorney for a teenage driver accused of mowing down a 4-year-old girl while fleeing police says the fatality was an unfortunate accident.

According to CBS New York, attorney Martin Schmukler says Franklin Reyes, 17, is "a good kid" who will have to live with the consequences for the rest of his life.

Reyes appeared in Manhattan court Wednesday. He's charged with manslaughter, fleeing police and unlicensed driving.

The Tuesday crash on the Upper West Side killed preschooler Ariel Russo and left her grandmother hospitalized.

Police say the teen fled when they tried to stop him for reckless driving and speeding.The out-of-control SUV pinned the little girl against the gate of a closed restaurant. Her grandmother was struck as the vehicle backed up.

An NYPD detective is being credited with removing about 12,000 bees that suddenly appeared on a Manhattan street.

WABC says Det Anthony Planakis used his well-honed bee-wrangling skills on Wednesday in the East Village.

He says the bees didn't pose an immediate threat. But they were removed to be on the safe side.

They'll now be in the custody of an area beekeeper.

Compiled with wire service reports