(Long Island, NY) A teenager arrested last month for the stabbing death of another teen during a fight at a Mastic intersection will be arraigned on an indictment today (Tuesday 6-9), Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota said.
Michael Dennis, 19, was charged with manslaughter in the death of 17-year-old Trevor Bender.
On May 29, Bender was in a car stuck in traffic when he and the driver started to argue with a group gathered at the corner of Mastic Road and Moriches Avenue. When Bender and the driver left the car to confront the group, a man stabbed Bender in the chest and ran away. The victim was pronounced dead at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center. Dennis was arrested the next day.
State Supreme Court Justice Mark Cohen (fourth floor of the courthouse) will unseal the indictment. The court calendar begins at 9:30.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Defendants are entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the prosecution to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
