A Mount Kisco police officer testified Monday that a former cop admitted he went "hunting" for an immigrant who died from a severe beating.
Officer Edward Dwyer told a White Plains jury that he and then-Officer George Bubaris responded to a 911 call last April at a Laundromat for Rene Perez, who was complaining of stomach pains. According to Dwyer, he and Bubaris eventually left the scene.
The prosecution claims while Dwyer went to answer another 911 call, Bubaris returned to find Perez, drove him to Byram Lake Road in Bedford and delivered a fatal blow that caused internal bleeding.
Dwyer said he only learned of Perez's death the next day. He testified that Bubaris told him he went "hunting" for Perez, who was known to the department as a drunk, and admitted to driving him to the location where he was found. Dwyer then said Bubaris told him, "You're the only one who knows, bro."
The testimony stunned Perez's relatives and supporters. "I can't believe that police would break the law that way," said family friend Mauricio Arriaga. "We're not animals. ? A statement like 'hunting' makes us upset."
Bubaris later quit the Mount Kisco Police Department.Dwyer is expected to undergo a lengthy cross-examination from the defense.