BRONX MAN IS SENTENCED TO 24 YEARS IMPRISONMENT FOR BURGLARIZING ELDERLY RESIDENTS IN PARKCHESTER

Bronx District Attorney Robert T. Johnson announced today that 25 year-old Tyron Felton, has been sentenced to a term of 24 years imprisonment for a series of "push in" burglaries involving elderly victims in Parkchester between September 2002 and November 2002.

Acting State Supreme Court Justice John N. Byrne sentenced Felton, a repeat offender, of 18 Metropolitan Oval, to a determinate term of 24 years imprisonment. The defendant pled guilty last May to five counts of Burglary in the 1st degree in connection with five armed "push in" burglaries.

Felton’s crime spree began on September 19, 2002 when he victimized a 70 year old woman and a 92 year-old woman in two separate incidents within five hours. Felton struck again on October 4, 2002 in a burglary involving a 90 year-old woman. Twelve days later, on October 16, 2002, Felton victimized an 87 year-old woman and her 84 year-old brother. The fifth "push in" burglary occurred on November 7, 2002 at the home of an 81 year-old woman. All of the victims were targeted as they left area stores carrying bags of groceries. As the elderly women approached their homes, Felton would offer to help them with their packages and gain their confidence. Once the victims entered the elevator Felton watched to see where they were going and would get off one or two floors below. He would race up the stairs and push his victims into their apartments as they were turning the keys to open the front door. Felton, who was armed with either a knife or handgun, bound the victims with duct tape before fleeing with jewelry and small amounts of cash.

The final incident on March 28, 2003 occurred at the home of a 70 year-old man and also involved his 29 year-old daughter and two year-old grandson. The victim was in his yard when Felton and two other armed men took his wallet and jewelry before snatching his daughter’s purse as she walked out of the house with her two year-old son. All three victims were forced into the garage and bound with duct tape.

Felton’s co-defendant in the March 28, 2003 incident only, Richard Feliciano, 24, of 1480 Washington Avenue, the Bronx is currently awaiting trial.

Assistant District Attorney Mary-Kathleen Wagner prosecuted the case in which charges at first had been filed against an innocent man. It was ADA Wagner’s discovery that the wrong video tape of an ATM banking transaction was the basis of that initial arrest. ADA Wagner immediately brought the matter to the court’s attention. Charges were dropped. The innocent man was released and Felton was subsequently arrested and convicted.