William Ferrer, 45, pleaded not guilty Thursday in Bronx Supreme Court to the murder of 12-year-old Jacob Freytes, gunned down by a stray bullet outside a Mount Eden bodega last month.
Ferrer, clad in beige jail scrubs, entered the plea as Jacob’s mother, Migdalia Martinez, sat just feet away in the gallery, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. She was surrounded by roughly a dozen relatives, several wearing shirts emblazoned with photos of the slain boy.
Before the hearing, Justice Alvin Yearwood denied a defense bid to bar cameras from the courtroom, ruling that The Post could photograph Ferrer inside. The judge noted that surveillance footage of the shooting itself had already circulated widely.
“This was an incident that was allegedly on video,” Yearwood said. “Even I, as a Bronx resident, saw the video.”
“I don’t know that there can really be any prejudice by photographing the defendant at the proceeding,” the judge continued. “Additionally, this court believes in the public’s right to know. You open the doors wide, you allow the public to see what’s happening, and that will help to provide confidence in the system, that we are not doing things in the dark.”
Yearwood then turned his attention directly to Jacob’s family, cautioning them about the pace of justice. “One of the things I try to explain is that, look, the case is in the court system. It’s not going to be resolved tomorrow,” he told them from the bench. “You’re welcome to come to every single court date, but understand you’re not getting a trial before the end of this year because unfortunately we have a lot of cases that we have to work through.”
Outside court, Martinez spoke of the hollow feeling of finally seeing the man accused of killing her son. She told The Post she had spotted Ferrer on the streets before, but that this encounter carried an entirely different weight.
“Whether I’ve seen him before or not, it’s a lot different when you see them after they committed something like that to someone you love,” she said.
Martinez, wearing a T-shirt bearing photos of herself and Jacob, also vented frustration at what she sees as Ferrer’s attempt to stall proceedings.
“He’s trying to buy time. The system is just messed up. This is just a mockery to him,” she said. “From his point of view it was an accident, but hey, as long as I don’t do life it’s fine.”
The devastated mother earlier fought back tears describing her enduring anguish to The Post. “I just wanted him to see how I felt, what he left me with. I feel like a shell. I carry a burden,” she said. “I don’t feel like I deserve this.”
Jacob, the son of retired NYPD Detective Sgt. Jesus Freytes, had biked to Wanda Deli Grocery on Elliott Place near the Grand Concourse on July 25 to buy a ball when gunfire erupted during a street dispute. Heartbreaking surveillance footage showed the youngster clutching his chest and staggering back into the bodega after he was struck. Two men were also wounded in the gunfire.
Ferrer, whose criminal record includes at least a half-dozen prior arrests dating back to 1999, faces murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, assault and weapons charges. Yearwood ordered him held without bail.
Ferrer is due back in court Nov. 17.