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1984...Democrat kills 10 on Palm Sunday

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On Palm Sunday, 1984, police responded to a report of shots 
fired at 1080 Liberty Avenue. They found 2 women and 8 children 
dead of point-blank gunshot wounds to the head. Two elements 
made the scene especially macabre: one, the victims were seated 
or reclined in a gruesome still-life, a few lounged in front of 
a television, another in the bedroom had been napping, and one 
woman held a tin of pudding and a spoon; two, a 13-month-old 
baby girl crawled among the corpses’ feet, crying. She was the 
only survivor.

After 9 days, the police investigation turned to Christopher 
Thomas. A cocaine addict with 3 priors for assault, Thomas often 
bought drugs from the home’s owner, Enrique Bermudez. Thomas had 
also accused Bermudez of sleeping with his wife.

Thomas’s defense attorney, Martin Schmukler, argued that what 
came to be known as The Palm Sunday Massacre was a case of 
manslaughter and not of murder, as Thomas’s history of 
depression and addiction to cocaine constituted sufficient 
emotional duress to account for his actions.

The jury agreed. Christopher Thomas was convicted of 10 counts 
of first-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 25 to 50 
years. He has been eligible for parole since 2009, but as of 
this writing, he remains incarcerated.

The surviving toddler, Christina Rivera – having lost her 
mother, 2 half-brothers, and several cousins – was taken from 
the murder scene by Joanne Jeffe, one of the first responding 
police officers. Jeffe eventually adopted her.

https://archives.law.virginia.edu/dengrove/writeup/palm-sunday-
massacre
                 

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