Crime Scene

Few stories have gotten more reader commentary than the death of Rene Perez. There have been a variety of reasons for the discussion, but much of it seems to focus on the fact that Perez was in the country illegally to begin with. In fact, we have covered these bases as well.

We’ve published his criminal record and noted that he was not deported despite being sentenced to jail more than 30 times. We’ve also made it clear that Perez’ own vices fueled a downward spiral in his life, one that ended with him living the life of an alcoholic vagrant who called a patch of wooded area behind the A&P supermarket in Mount Kisco his home.

But many readers have taken offense at the extent to which we have covered Perez’ case. Some have tied the paper’s coverage to the immigration debate. Others have suggested that we are attempting to make a case against the three Mount Kisco police officers who are part of the investigation into Perez’ death.

In fact, the paper’s coverage stems entirely from the circumstances of the case, as I have repeatedly told readers who have taken issue with parts of our coverage. Perez arrived here 15 years ago with all the intention of being productive and hard-working. Within several years, he was a homeless alcoholic. The night he disappeared, he was driven out of Bedford by police and into Mount Kisco.

Several hours later, he made a drunken 911 call to Mount Kisco police. Within the hour, he was found dying in Bedford. His death was ruled a homicide and included the impounding of two Mount Kisco squad cars, although no suspects have been identified by investigators or by the paper, for that matter. The DA took a lead in the case, and the FBI announced it would keep tabs on it all.

The circumstances are certainly newsworthy. That’s what we see. If Perez were of another race or ethnic group, or if his residency status were different, those circumstances would still warrant news coverage of his death and the resulting investigation. The case, not the man, drive the story. We’ll stay on it.