Jurors Weep During Nixzmary Brown Murder Case

Photographs of a 7-year-old girl's battered body moved jurors in the Nixzmary Brown murder trial to tears yesterday. The prosecution showed crime scene photographs, featuring Nixzmary's dead body. The girl's stepfather Cesar Rodriguez is on trial for second-degree murder. Newsday thought it sounded like someone exclaimed "Jesus!" after seeing the pictures; other jurors covered their mouths. And with good reason: One of the pictures "showed bruised and scratched buttocks of the child with a spot of what appeared to be fresh blood." An NYPD detective said the 7-year-old who weighed only 36 pounds "was extremely thin, you could see bones through the skin." The previous day, a video of Rodrigeuz discussing Nixzmary's wounds to a Brooklyn ADA right after the girl was found dead was shown in court (but not the jury). After claiming that a mark above Nixzmary's eye as well as her two black eyes were self-inflicted, Rodriguez claimed responsibility for many others. From the Daily News:The prosecutor showed a photo of Nixzmary's battered back. "That's from me beating her with the belt," Rodriguez said, referring to marks on her buttocks. He was less sure about some marks on her waist. "Same thing - from the belt or my hands," he said. "Maybe pound her on her back." "What about this mark on her ankle?" Weinman asked later. "That was from the bungee cord," Rodriguez answered. "That was from the bungee cord when you tied it around her leg so she couldn't leave the room?" Weinman said. "Right," replied Rodriguez. It's expected the video will be shown next week. Rodriguez's lawyer Jeffrey Schwartz managed to get sections where Rodriguez was asked about sexual abusing Nixzmary redacted, but was not successful in redacting parts asking him if the girl was fed cat food (the News heard him say, "There's calories in cat food," Schwartz said, quickly adding, "I'm not saying it's appropriate to feed it to a child.") Schwartz has also claimed his client's statements were taken illegally and Rodriguez was trying to cover for his wife. The defense's argument is the fatal blow that killed Nixzmary was really from her mother, Nixzaliz Santiago, who will face murder charges in a separate trial. Photograph of Nixzmary Brown's grave at the Cypress Hills Cemetery via Find a Grave

Pencil This In
ART: The Bronx Museum of Art is getting on board the First Friday bandwagon. They'll be opening their doors every first Friday of the month for free, and add a little something extra each time. Tonight their theme is “Say it Loud! I’m Black & I’m Proud” in celebration of Black History Month. There will be a tribute to the late James Brown, and a showcase of independent artists paying tribute to black music. Friday // 6 to 10pm // The Bronx Museum [1040 Grand Concourse 165th St, Bronx] // Free COMEDY: Recent interviewee Eugene Mirman storms the Union Hall stage tonight in celebration of his Comedy Central special. The show is free, so get there early and snag a spot in what's sure to be a packed room. Friday // 8pm // Union Hall [702 Union St, Park Slope] // Free THEATER: The sordid, bloody saga of Mary, Queen of Scots has been dramatized by British-born playwright and poet Glyn Maxwell in a production that gets its American premiere tonight. Called The Lifeblood, it was originally seen at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2004, where a London paper wrote, “Glyn Maxwell's script somehow manages to suggest the rhythm and structure of Shakespearean language while keeping it in a modern context. It feels like the history play Shakespeare never wrote.” The Phoenix Theater Ensemble production centers around the final days of Mary Stuart, leading up to her execution. “A prisoner of her cousin Queen Elizabeth, Mary Queen of Scots, decides whether her plight is worth the risks of escape, only to find that political intriguers have made that choice for her.” – John Del Signore Friday // 8pm // Connelly Theatre [220 East 4th St] // Tickets cost $20 ART: This week the Things I Have Learned In My Life So Far exhibit opened at Deitch. The interactive exhibit is the brainchild of Stefan Sagmeister, one of today’s most innovative and influential graphic designers. "The exhibition will include works that have a life of their own, transforming throughout the exhibition as viewers engage with them. It is timed to coincide with the release of a new book of the same title, which surveys Sagmeister’s illustrious career." Saturday // Noon to 6pm // Deitch Projects [76 Grand St] // Free MUSIC: The Teenagers have been all over town this week, and Saturday they'll be performing a free in-store at Cake Shop (upstairs). The international synth-pop trio will likely perform their sonic homage to Scarlett Johansson, not so subtly-titled "Starlett Johansson". Saturday // 4pm // Cake Shop [152 Ludlow St] // Free THEATER: Sweden’s most highly regarded contemporary playwright, Lars Norén, made a stir in 1999 when two convicted cop killers received a furlough to participate in one of his plays. There’s no convict casting in Rattlestick’s production of his play WAR, but a provocative evening is promised nonetheless. Using multi-ethnic casting, Norén’s play turns a taut tale of family dynamics into a history of genocide in our century. “It is a year of ethnic cleansing. A mother and her two daughters, their father missing and presumed dead, think only of survival. When the father returns unexpectedly, they must confront a world gone completely wrong.” John Del Signore Saturday // 8pm // Rattlestick Theater [224 Waverly Place] // Tickets cost $40. SUPER BOWL: There are plenty of events around town in case you want to leave your couch Super Bowl Sunday. For the big spender, head over to B.B. King's where they're having an all-you-can-eat and drink Super Bowl party. Check out the menu here, there's a lot more than chicken wings on there! Sunday // 5pm // B.B. King's [243 West 42nd St] // $55

Camera in the Kitchen: Market Table
In the restaurant world, terminology like "organic," "local," and "seasonal" have become so commonplace they can be easy to ignore. But, when Market Table – which offers all three of these – opened on Carmine Street (at Bedford) in the West Village last September, they highlighted a new buzzword: market. With an emphasis on bringing food from the market directly to the table, the restaurant simultaneously offers a capacious (and beautiful) dining room headed by chef Mikey Price (formerly of Mermaid Inn), which is adjacent to a general-store like grocery stocked with olive oils, fresh breads, assorted condiments, dried goods, and a deli case full of gravlax, fresh herbs, cheeses, and sauces and stocks. Price is partner to Chef Joey Campanaro and Gabriel Stulman of the nearby Little Owl, of which we're also big fans. When Gothamist and a dining companion stopped by for dinner on a recent evening, we noted the dining room to be spacious, but intimate, loud, but convivial, and the space was perfectly lit for a date, with the light from nearby businesses pouring in through the restaurant's giant glass windows. Inside, the market-side emits an appetizing glow from beyond the dining room, and Chef Price occupies an open kitchen behind the shop's offerings. After peeking at our neighbors' tables, we started with with a bottle of Bonny Doon Cigare Volente, one of dozens of red wines categorized by vineyard or location off an extensive list of spirits. To accompany, we'd happily recommend starting with a plate of the crispy calamari with white anchovy, lemon, and chili mayo that was light, fresh, and rightly both crunchy and chewy. To compliment, the fennel & apple salad, shredded fennel mixed with pickled onions and topped with slices of apple and parmesan was refreshing with sweet and citrus-y hints. Entree options are limited to seven on a menu that changes seasonally, but not daily. Vegetarian options are sparse; meat and fish eaters will be more at ease. Gothamist's dining companion opted for the braised lamb shank, a hunky portion of braised meat still on the bone, served with wilted greens, and, most memorably, a cheesy, billowy gouda gratin, an excellent stand-in for more traditional mashed potatoes. We wavered between the two fish dishes; one, a grilled arctic char, and the other – our final pick – a flaky sauteed codfish with brussels sprouts, butternut squash, and onions. While moist and tender, it was understated next to the lamb dish. After dinner, skip the coffee – ours was lukewarm – and go straight to the sweets. Dessert options number around a half dozen, and while not the star of the show, offer a satisfyingly sweet finish. We took our waitress's advice and ordered the polka dot cheesecake, a luscious vanilla foundation studded with large chocolate bursts. Market Table offers delicious in-house dining and tasty take-home basics for those who want to walk out with the ingredients that made up their meal. At lunchtime the dining room is bright and airy, and the lunch-only burger ($12), a contender for New York's best, is the star. At dinnertime, the room is abuzz with energy, people in intimate conversation only stopping to cut into their steaks. Market Table is located at 54 Carmine Street, 212.255.2100 and open for lunch and dinner, M-F and for dinner on the weekends.

Gothamist's Week in Rock: A Sticky Edition
Kanye Crashes a Museum Party Well this was unexpected! Not afraid to wear a fur coat to the Natural History Museum, Kanye West made a surprise appearance at last Friday's Cool Kids/Kid Sister party. As Kid Sister was finishing up her set, Kanye jumped up on stage to throw in his part of their duet. He then stayed up there to play a short set of all his current hits. DJ A-Trak claimed it to be a last minute arrangement, getting thrown together by text messages that evening, and it was a well kept surprise. It certainly made the several long will call lines attendees were forced to wait in more tolerable in hindsight. (Pic by Justin Charles for Flavorpill, who hosted the event) The Thermals Do Karaoke There have been many New York concert crowds that have been described as if they were glued to the floor during a set, but we're not sure this has ever been the case before last night at Studio B. We literally watched people's soles come off their shoes as they walked across the inexplicably sticky dance floor, making it a chore to even adjust in place, let alone mosh and dance around. When the band, unaware at the time of the sticky situation, suggested the crowd loosen up a bit, the spirited fans in the front row tried to explain that they couldn't without potentially popping their hip sockets out. The band and the upper body moving, fist pumping crowd tried to make the most of it, but combined with a light crowd, embarrassingly dreadful performance by comedy troupe "The Whitest Kids U Know" and an poorly implemented Karaoke set, this potentially amazing night ended up, more or less, a wash. Chromeo Lights Bowery Up Getting the audience moving was the least of Chromeo's concerns last weekend at Bowery. The retro electronic duo appears to have built a very enthusiastic fan base, not just selling out two nights, but filling the place with rabid fans who were completely losing their minds at every beat. Aside from the catchy jams, the band held their own on stage. A synchronized light show acted as a backdrop, scrolling and strobeing in time with the music while P-Thugg and Dave 1 kept the crowd responsive. It was an excellent set from a band long deserving of their current success.

Extra, Extra
Sponge Bob! I am your father!, by dcschaub, at flickr Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a shooting on East 169th St. and Franklin Ave. in the Bronx, an aircraft emergency at Laguardia in Queens, and a power outage on Laconia Ave. in the Bronx. The suit about seizing private property for another private owner in the name of public gain will move to the Supreme Court after a 3-judge panel ruled that Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards eminent domain actions were O.K. with them. Some subway graffiti suggesting who the real Cloverfield monster is. Michelle Williams released a statement about former fiancee Heath Ledger's death: "My heart is broken...I am the mother of the most tender-hearted, high-spirited, beautiful little girl who is the spitting image of her father. All that I can cling to is his presence inside her that reveals itself every day." J. Lo reportedly will give birth on Long Island soon, while wearing couture maternity clothes. No word yet on whether Marc Anthony will have J-Lo's obstetrician abacinated following the birth, like the architect of St. Basil's in Russia. A construction crane on Washington Street, between Watts and Debrosses Sts., snapped and half in Tribeca; a witness saw the crane's ball fall! A few words from the recently shuttered 2nd Street Cafe in Park Slope; a place can't survive on lunches and brunches alone. More testimony in the treason case of Lower East Side residents Ethel and Julius Rosenberg will become public.

Helpful Bystander Law Proposed
A New York State senator is proposing a law that makes criminals legally responsible for the inadvertent harm to helpful bystanders who might come to the aid of a person under attack. The proposal comes in the wake of the death of Flonarza Byas, who may have been killed by Maurice Parks while he was defending himself during a robbery. The media are calling this a strengthening of the Good Samaritan law, but when we think of that, we think of the law against not helping someone in obvious need. That's the law that got the Seinfeld Four locked up during that show's series finale after they laughed at a fat man being robbed as they videotaped the crime. The newly proposed law stems from the death of Flonarza Byas, who may have been killed by subway conductor Maurice Parks. A number of men attempted to rob Parks earlier one morning this month, unaware that Parks was trained in the martial arts, had previously shot a mugger years ago, and was carrying a knife for self defense. In the ensuing mano a mano combat, Parks may have been the man who fatally stabbed Byas, who may have been coming to the aid of either Parks or the men he was defending himself from. In the mind of Sen. Eric Adams, who exactly killed Byas is a moot point. The law he is proposing is meant to hold the people who initiate criminal action to be held accountable for its consequences, whoever is injured or killed as a result.