Shock and outrage were the first emotions that many city residents experienced when they discovered the Oct. 30 verdict in the trial of slain Jersey City Police Officer Domenick Infantes Jr.
Infantes, who patrolled the streets of the city’s Hamilton Park neighborhood for years, was killed after he was hit with a lead pipe during an altercation over firecrackers at a 2001 Independence Day party. Two brothers, Benjamin and Alfredo Gavina of Williams Avenue, were charged with Infantes’ murder.
Testimony given by police repeated the prosecution’s claim that Benjamin Gavina, 45, delivered the fatal blows and that Alfredo Gavina, 42, helped him in the act. The evidence, many city residents said, was overwhelmingly against the Gavina brothers.
The trial jury, however, decided not to convict them of murder.
Alfredo Gavina was charged as an accessory to capital murder and faced life in jail if convicted, but was acquitted of all charges brought against him. His brother Benjamin, who was charged with first-degree murder and faced the death penalty if convicted, was found guilty of reckless manslaughter and possession of a weapon.
After the initial disbelief at the verdict settled, Hamilton Park residents and the Jersey City Police Benevolent Association [POBA] scheduled a candlelight vigil in Infantes’ honor for this past Friday. Taking place at the gazebo posthumously dedicated to the slain officer, the vigil was to include prayers and short statements from people on whose lives Infantes had an indelible impact.
“The reason we are holding this candlelight vigil is because of [the verdict],” Hamilton Park resident Robin Pinkowitz said in a release. “The jury sent a message that a police officer that tries to help a citizen in this county and is killed doing so would not have justice on their behalf.”
Reactions at home
Alfredo Gavina’s conviction carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
When Hamilton Park residents heard news of the verdict, they said they were in complete disbelief at the jury’s findings.
“It set me back,” said Lynne Lieberman, a West Hamilton Place resident who has lived in the neighborhood for 28 years. “I couldn’t believe it. I was stunned. The newspaper accounts of the trial were very clear that this was an incredibly brutal murder and the brother who used the pipe was totally out of control. I don’t understand what a jury saw, frankly.”
Medical reports confirmed that Infantes was killed by blunt force trauma to the head. The prosecution argued that the lead pipes used to kill Infantes had the Gavinas’ names engraved onto them.
“When I tell people the verdict, they’re in shock,” Pinkowitz said. “[The verdict shows that] there’s no regard for human life. I can’t imagine what was in the minds of those 12 people. In this neighborhood, we’ve all sat on our stoops and debated this. When you play this whole thing out, it doesn’t make sense. Nothing makes sense here.”
Friday night’s vigil was a community attempt, Pinkowitz said, at showing the Jersey City Police Department and the Infantes family that neighborhood residents are not pleased with the verdict.
“We killed that guy twice,” Pinkowitz said. “He was killed on July 6 and he was killed on the day of that verdict. Nobody knows what to do and I’m a bit annoyed that there isn’t more outrage. We want the judge to know he needs to put down the maximum sentence. They need to question this. Something is not right here.”
Comments from further abroad
Outrage at the verdict has not been limited to just Hudson County residents either, police officers’ union President Harry Sandwith said last week. The union has been getting phone calls from citizens across the state and around the country.
“We’ve been getting calls from all over the state and outside the state,” Sandwith said. “[They’ve expressed] feelings of disgust with the verdict and that they stand beside us. Let’s put it this way: when you’re off-duty, you have the option to walk away. Ninety-five percent of the time, the guy’s going to take action. This is more or less not just for Domenick, but to show the cops in our union that it’s not a cop-hating world.”
On www.odmp.org, a web site dedicated to fallen police officers, many people who have never met Infantes have left “reflections” on his murder, saying it was an injustice to his life and memory.
Other reflections from people who knew Infantes emphasized his good nature, his kindness at work and his affability.
“Dom remains to me a true friend and inspiration,” wrote Police Officer Louis DeStefano, Infantes’ partner on the Hamilton Park beat. “As stories unfold regarding his life’s works, it reminds me how much learning is needed regarding the human condition. His unselfish acts and caring for his fellow man are a rarity in our society. His actions always spoke louder than any words could. Jersey City has lost a good and decent man. I have lost a partner that can never be replaced. You’re a better man than I am, Dominic Infantes. With great sadness in my heart, I remain your last partner on NTF 6.”
Sandwith echoed DeStefano’s comments, saying Infantes was well-liked within the union. The news of the verdict, he added, has bothered some Jersey City police officers, particularly Infantes’ brother Erik, who became a cop after Infantes was killed.
In a statement issued shortly after the Oct. 30 verdict, Jersey City Police Chief Ronald Buonocore said he’d circulated a memo throughout the police department that he was going to urge the U.S. Attorney to investigate the case on possible civil rights violations.
Sgt. Edgar Martinez, the JCPD’s public information officer, said last week the chief was still pursuing his initial intention to appeal the verdict.
Neighborhood affection
Despite the outcry, warm memories persist among Hamilton Park residents, who remember Infantes as a smiling officer always looking out for the people in the neighborhood.
“Domenick was a really good cop,” Pinkowitz said. “We saw him almost on a daily basis. He had this amazing way to approach you. Seeing Domenick confront people for two years on quality of life issues, he approached people in such a way and he knew how to talk to people. Domenick always knew how to talk to people and not at them.”
Infantes was even able to establish a good rapport with the neighborhood’s children and teenagers, Pinkowitz said, including some children from the Holland Gardens housing projects who regularly played basketball at Hamilton Park.
“Every Christmas, he would get toys and bring them to the projects,” she said. “He and some of his friends would do that, and he never once had his name in the newspaper.”
Residents said they would regularly chat with Infantes on his foot patrols.
“He made you feel very comfortable. He wasn’t condescending and he was just polite,” Pinkowitz said. “He was funny and happy and sweet. He would just laugh because he looked like a Santa Claus with that smile. All people could do around here is shake their heads and say, ‘What were these people thinking?’ “