Murder retrial suspect defends his attorney

A man whose murder conviction was overturned in the death of a Yonkers college student was back in court Thursday over his new attorney. Anthony Disimone is free on bail after a judge overturned his

News 12 Staff

Jun 19, 2008, 11:02 PM

Updated 5,924 days ago

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A man whose murder conviction was overturned in the death of a Yonkers college student was back in court Thursday over his new attorney.
Anthony Disimone is free on bail after a judge overturned his conviction last year. Then-Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office failed to turn over documents to the defense, leading to the case being thrown out on a technicality.
Disimone, a reputed member of the "Tanglewood Boys," was sentenced to 25 years to life for the 1994 murder of Louis Balancio outside a now-closed Yonkers bar.
Disimone has hired high-profile attorney Murray Richman. Prosecutors argued Thursday that there could be a conflict of interest, since Richman allegedly represented someone who witnessed Balancio's murder. That person reportedly said another person was involved.
Richman maintains that he has "no knowledge of this witness" and that it's "not significant to go to the heart of the case."
Disimone's case goes before a judge July 2.
The victim's father, former Yonkers City Council member Jeff Balancio, is confident that Disimone will be convicted again. "It's pretty simple," Balancio said. "DNA convicted him and put him in prison and a technicality has interrupted justice momentarily."