Reich denied bail in Scarsdale slaying
Reich stabbed his wife at least 21 times, prosecutors alleged in court Friday.
Julius "Jules" Reich, 61, will remain in the Westchester County jail, where he has been held since his wife, Dr. Robin Goldman, was found stabbed at least 21 times Wednesday in the couple's Lincoln Road home.
The couple — he a prominent businessman, she a respected pediatrician — were in the midst of a divorce.
Reich's
lawyer, Kerry Lawrence, characterized the divorce proceeding brought by
his client as amicable. But prosecutors said that Goldman confided in
friends that she was afraid of her husband.
“She told
people she feared him,” Assistant District Attorney John O’Rourke told
the judge in Westchester County Court in White Plains. “She changed the
locks to keep him out.
Reich appeared in court wearing a
white jumpsuit, his dark hair disheveled and matted. He swayed back and
forth as he stood before Judge Anne Minihan, with his hands cuffed and
legs shackled. He occasionally whispered to his lawyer.
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Lawrence argued that Reich has no criminal history, has lived in Scarsdale for decades and has deep ties to the area.
"His
reputation in the community is of a gentle, kind man," Lawrence told
the judge, asking that Reich be released on $150,000 bail.
O'Rourke,
however, described the brutality of Goldman's death. The 58-year-old
physician was attacked from behind in the shower as she got ready for
work Wednesday morning, he said. "Then he walked away, went to the kitchen and lit a cigarette before he called 911," O'Rourke alleged.
Reich's
family, including his three children, want nothing to do with him, the
prosecutor said. "His ties in the community have been severed."
Reich
has worked for years as a New York City mergers and acquisitions
specialist. Prosecutors hinted at fabulous wealth that they
said Reich has stashed in accounts all over the world. They said he owns
homes in Israel and China and has contacts and connections throughout
Europe and South Africa. He also has access to private jets and yachts.
"He will take off," O'Rourke told the judge. "His incentive to flee is great.
Lawrence said he client would agree to surrender his passport. He said Reich's two sisters were in court to show their support.
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| Clockwise from top right, Julius "Jules" Reich, 61, allegedly stabbed Dr. Robin Goldman, 58, to death at their home at 50 Lincoln Road Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016, a law enforcement source told The Journal News. (Photo: Scarsdale police department/Montefiore Medical Center/Seth Harrison/) |
The
judge was unconvinced. She declined to set bail and also granted the
requested orders of protection for Reich's three children, all in their
20s, over Reich's objections.
"My client would like to be able to communicate with his children," Lawrence said.
But Minihan warned Reich not to try to contact his children in any way.
The three children recalled their mother in eulogies at her funeral Thursday as a Supermom who was devoted to her family, her profession and her religion.
Reich had filed for divorce from Goldman in August, and the couple had been set for their first court appearance Monday.
Scarsdale police have said they know of no previous history of domestic violence calls to the 6,400-square-foot home.
