STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — After allegedly telling police he attacked and ultimately mutilated his mother’s boyfriend inside their West Brighton home, Damien Hurstel pleaded not guilty to murder charges during an arraignment hearing Tuesday in Criminal Court.
Hurstel, who appeared virtually from a hospital bed in Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton, was clad in a hospital gown and seemingly coherent through a series of “yes” or “no” questions by the court.
Judge Biju J. Koshy ordered that the defendant be remanded without bail at the request of the district attorney’s office, which he deemed “appropriate” given the severity of the charges and the circumstances surrounding the case.
In the gallery, the defendant’s mother, uncle and other immediate and extended family members