Accused Burglar Acquitted Of Peet Break-in
By WENNTuesday, May 11, 2010
A man accused of burglarising actress AMANDA PEET’s New York apartment last October (09) has been acquitted by a Manhattan jury.
The Whole Nine Yards star’s babysitter, Michelle Werner, interrupted a thief when she stopped by Peet’s Tribeca loft on 27 October (09) and was confronted by a burglar, who had broken in through the skylight and taken jewellery. The actress was not home during the burglary.
Career criminal Henry Santos, 27, was subsequently arrested and charged with the crime after being identified by Werner in a police line-up.
He went on trial in Manhattan Supreme Court earlier this month (May10) and Peet’s screenwriter husband David Benioff took the stand on Friday (07May10) to testify in the case.
He described how “panicked” and terrified his then-pregnant wife had been by the incident, while Werner recalled the moment she came face-to-face with the intruder.
But Santos was cleared by jurors on Monday (10May10), explaining a line-up identification by the babysitter was not sufficient enough evidence to find him guilty.
Santos faced up to 15 years behind bars if convicted for the crime.
