Opinion ID: 1907203
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Richard Biegenwald (2)

Text: On September 21, 1982, Biegenwald and the State's principal witness, Dherren Fitzgerald, met with William Ward to arrange the terms of a hit which Ward wanted Fitzgerald to perform for $25,000. According to Fitzgerald, he joined Ward in Ward's car and Biegenwald followed them in Fitzgerald's car to Fitzgerald's home. Before Biegenwald arrived, Fitzgerald and Ward discussed the terms of the hit. Fitzgerald refused Ward's request to be present for the murder and an argument ensued, during which Ward displayed his revolver. The men wrestled over the gun and the gun went off, striking Ward in either the shoulder or neck. Fitzgerald reached for his Luger .22 caliber pistol but was unable to cock the gun with one hand and instead struck Ward on the head with its barrel, causing Ward to bleed and rendering the gun inoperable. The struggle spilled onto the porch, ending with Fitzgerald on top of Ward, who was on his back and still clutching his gun. Then, Biegenwald appeared and shot Ward five times in the head with a .22 caliber Beretta. Biegenwald and Fitzgerald loaded the body into Ward's car, which Fitzgerald then drove to a nearby mall. Later, Biegenwald reported that the police had not come to the scene. Fitzgerald drove back to his home, where he stored Ward's body until that night when he buried Ward at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Sea View Square. The two men later abandoned Ward's car in Brooklyn. Biegenwald was convicted of capital murder. The jury found one aggravating factor, c(4)(a) (prior murder), and two mitigating factors, c(5)(d) (mental disease of defect) and c(5)(h) (catch-all), but was unable to reach a verdict on sentencing. Therefore, the court sentenced Biegenwald to life with a minimum term of thirty years. He was also convicted of theft, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlicensed possession of a handgun, for which he was sentenced to serve a consecutive, aggregate term of five-and-one-half years. In an unreported opinion, the Appellate Division affirmed.