George Adorno

George Adorno was born in 1959 to Puerto Rican immigrant parents. He had his first encounter with police at age four after setting his sister on fire. He accumulated a record of sixteen arrests, all for theft, before being charged at age 15 with triple homicide. Adorno confessed to the slayings to a New York district attorney in the presence of his sister. His mother, who spoke no English and was not summoned, was absent during the confession, leading a juvenile magistrate to dismiss the confession and three counts of homicide. He was convicted on a lesser charge of robbery and sentenced to three years confinement, with his juvenile record sealed by court order in accordance with state law. After serving half his sentence, he was released and was free for nineteen days before killing again. The last victim was Steven Robinson, a black law student working as a cab driver. Adorno pleaded guilty on July 12, 1977, and received a sentence of fifteen years to life. Two accomplices, Mark Davis, 17, and Calvin Gaddy, 15, also pled guilty in Robinson's death and received identical sentences. Under New York law, he became eligible for parole after serving half the lesser period. Justice Burton Roberts criticized the juvenile justice system, stating: "Nothing ever happened to Adorno," and questioning whether the system ever recognized the need to control such individuals.