Edgy Mood in Bx Courtroom at Arraignment of Accused Wife Killer

By MODOU NYANG

A Bronx man accused of the Oct. 4 shooting death of his wife pleaded not guilty on Thursday to the charges at Bronx Supreme Court.

A beefed-up court security contingent had to restrain relatives of the victim, Jennifer Ortiz, 27, from approaching the defendant, Amauri Perdomo, 31, at the arraignment. The relatives of Ortiz sat together in small crowd in the aisle opposite from supporters of the accused, creating an electric atmosphere in the courtroom. The relatives had been waiting many hours for his appearance.

Ortiz was found dead in the passenger seat of a grey Chevy SUV early in the morning. She was shot in the head, according to reports.
Perdomo also faced a charge of second degree attempted murder in the shooting of Anthony Fergus, who had been in the car with his wife.

The next day, after his brother, Angel, an auxiliary policeman, convinced Perdomo to give himself up, he reportedly tried to shoot himself in the car on the way to the police station but his sister Alexandra thwarted the attempt.

When the charges were read to him in court, Perdomo, nonchalantly responded not guilty, causing a stir in the late afternoon courtroom.

Perdomo was due back in court on December 21.

A man who said he was Ortiz’s brother declined comment, saying: “I don’t want to talk about it”. Still, he said Ortiz and the accused were married with four children, the youngest a three-year-old girl. The couple’s two youngest children, who were with the victim’s family members in court, had been moving between the two families on either side of the courtroom.