Cop Testifies About Finding Cleaning Woman's Body in Downtown Office

Cop Testifies About Finding Cleaning Woman's Body in Downtown Office MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — A cop testified in graphic detail Friday how she found the body of a murdered cleaning woman whose body was stuffed into an air duct in a downtown office building. He worked at the building as a handyman and porter and was allegedly seen acting suspiciously and frequently changing his shirts in surveillance video prosecutors plan to show at trial. "I recovered the pants from the locker and a roll of black and yellow tape that looked such as the tape that was used to tie up the victim was found in one of the drawers to the right," Parke testified. Pabon is charged with the murder and kidnapping of the Washington Heights mother of three, who was working part time cleaning offices. Office handyman Joseph Pabon, 27, of Staten Island is on trial for her murder. She had to be identified by dental records. A Crime Scene Unit detective Patrick Parke further described the find and what was found in Pabon's locker before his arrest. in July 2009. His attorney, Mario Gallucci, said Pabon was ill and his behavior was "consistent" with somebody who was not feeling well. "It was a very foul, putrid smell," Gerena testified, describing what led her to the air duct where she found Rodriguez's body. The graphic photos sent Rodriguez's daughter running from the courtroom. Gerena and three other police officers were then lead to a utility room on the floor where the smell grew stronger. Prosecutors say Pabon grabbed Rodriguez on an empty floor of the building and bound her hands with thick industrial duct tape before taping her mouth shut so tightly she suffocated to death. She tried so hard to save herself that she scratched Pabon on his torso, neck and arms, leaving DNA from his skin cells were preserved underneath her fingernails, leading to the arrest and prosecution of her killer, the DA said. He faces up to life in prison if convicted. The trial is expected to resume Monday. Cop Testifies About Finding Cleaning Woman's Body in Downtown Office Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 05/03/2012