Andre Hatchet: Second-Degree Murder Of Neda Mae Carter

Andre Hatchet was living a free man's life, then the unexpected happened. On February 18, 1991, Hatchet was suspected as the criminal of the second-degree murder of Neda Mae Carter. The police were looking for a man in the description of "Popeye." On October in 91, Hatchet was put on trial at Kings Country Supreme Court. Over a year later, Hatchet was sentenced to 25 years in prison on February 19, 1992.

Carter was found dead in an ally way. She was beat up, raped, and then arranged in a crucifix style. She lived across the street form a man called Gerard WIlliams. Williams knew this woman pretty good.

Gerard Williams had been arrested in New York one night for an unrelated burglary charge. He was also taken into consideration for being the possible suspect for the Carter case. As the police were looking for a "Popeye" suspect, Williams saw Hatchett and told police that he looked like the "Popeye" they were looking for. Hatchet then volunteered by his own will to go to the police station and go into the lineup of possible suspects. He just wanted to take out the consideration of him being the suspect. He was learning disabled and could not read or write so he did not quite know exactly what he was getting himself into.

Williams was there to testify against Hatchet saying that he saw Hatchet swinging at the woman. At the end of the trial, the judge called for a retrial because of Hatchet's lawyer that the judge sited for because of numerous failures. Some of these failures included failing to serve notice to the prosecutor of an alibi defense, for non-existent or minimal cross-examination of witnesses, and for repeatedly conducting conferences with Hatchett or the prosecutor in a voice loud enough for the jury to hear. The judge noted that the lawyer was hearing impaired and could not hear all of the