The courtroom battle in the murder trial of Howard Beach resident Barbara Sheehan continued into its second week, with Sheehan’s testimony beginning on Monday and continuing through Wednesday as of press time.
Sheehan is accused of shooting her husband, retired a NYPD sergeant at their Howard Beach home in 2008. Defense attorney Michael Dowd told the court in his opening statements on Friday September 16 that his client was defending herself on the morning of February 18, 2008 when the shooting occurred.
Assistant District Attorney Debra Pomodore established the prosecution’s position in opening statements last week, portraying Sheehan as a calculating murderess, rather than a victim of years of domestic violence forced to defend her life, as the defense maintains.
Pomedore began this week with an aggressive cross examination of Sheehan focusing on the history of deviant sexual behavior in the couple’s house, in an attempt to convince jurors that Barbara Sheehan not only had knowledge of her husband’s deviant sexual habits, she was also a participant.
The difficult line of questioning told the story of Ray Sheehan and his pension for transgender sexual encounters and dressing in women’s clothes and adult diapers.
While dissecting the details of the case’s sordid sexual components, Pomedore interrogated Sheehan about an e-mail sent from the Sheehan’s home account in October 2007. The prosecutor said the e-mail was sent by Barbara Sheehan to someone with the screen name of “sissybabygirl777” in order to solicit another couple to engage in “adult baby sex” with she and her husband while they visited their son Raymond in Albany where he was playing college football.
At that point the questioning became too difficult for Sheehan to handle, leading to an emotional collapse on the stand. Barbara Sheehan covered her face and sobbed. “I can’t believe he did this,” she cried. “I never sent an e-mail. Absolutely not!”
Pomodore countered Sheehan’s protestations saying the e-mail was “written in her voice” and that the Howard Beach secretary was not as unhappy in her marriage as she would have everyone think. Pomedore showed the court a photo of the couple taken on a trip to California in 2007. Raymond Sheehan held his wife closely while planting a kiss on her cheek. “I did it so my daughter could take a picture,” Barbara Sheehan stated vehemently, denying any existence of affection between she and her husband.
Sheehan insisted under oath that she never sent the e-mail and maintains that the physical relationship she shared with her husband ended more than ten years ago.
Regaining her composure, Sheehan answered further questions and told the court how her husband called her “Mommy” and made her watch him dress up in diapers.
In the days ahead the couple’s two children, daughter Jennifer and son Raymond, are expected to testify in their mother’s defense, as are other friends and family members.
By Patricia Adams
