Cops Cuff Man Linked To Brutal Slaying Of Harlem Father: NYPD

HARLEM, NY — A Harlem man accused of fatally bashing in his neighbor’s head with a bat inside the apartment building where they both lived has been arrested and charged, police said.

Victor Springer, 35, faces second-degree murder charges for the weekend slaying of his 40-year-old neighbor and father of three, cops said.

Police were called to the Frederick Douglass Blvd. building near W. 120th St. around 3:15 a.m. on Saturday, where they discovered Guillermo Edgardo Ortiz Palacios, unconscious and unresponsive with head trauma.

Medics rushed Ortiz Palacios to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

An NYPD spokesperson said that Springer was taken directly into custody later that afternoon.

As of Sunday morning, court records indicate that Springer was ordered to be held without bail following his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court.

Springer has since pleaded not guilty and stated that he was defending himself from an attack when he hit Ortiz Palacios.

According to The Daily News, Springer's lawyer, Wilfredo Sta. Ana, informed the D.A.'s office that surveillance footage depicted Ortiz Palacios entering the stairwell with a clean bat. Subsequently, Springer was seen leaving the stairwell on the second floor, now holding the bat, which was visibly stained with blood.

"Oftentimes in cases like this, the press canonizes those who are involved in violence at theexpense of someone like Mr. Springer, who did not initiate this fight, did not start this fight,and clearly did not want the end result," Ana told the venerable tabloid.

As of Monday afternoon, police said the investigation into the incident remains ongoing.