Report: Mom defends father vs. charges

Report: Mom defends father vs. charges

Published Jun. 29, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

The wife of the New York City dad who ignited a bloody brawl that left his football-star son dead said Thursday her husband is not the one to blame.

Isayah Muller, 19, was stabbed to death Tuesday when he rushed to help his dad, Andre, who allegedly was pummeling a parking garage attendant he suspected of stealing a $200 bottle of cologne from his car.

"It's not right that [Andre's] the only one charged," his wife Rosa said. "It's not fair they're just focusing on his dad and not my dead son."

The Truman High School running back's father was still wearing a shirt drenched in his son's blood at his arraignment Wednesday.

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The 40-year-old father faced charges of assault, criminal possession of a weapon and harassment as Isayah's sobbing mother — who is pregnant with twins — and 20 other devastated relatives looked on.

"I want justice for my child," said Muller's wife. "It's all lies. It's all allegations."

Andre Muller, who has six prior arrests and spent 11 years in prison, later walked from the courtroom in a clean T-shirt after posting $10,000 bond.

The drama unfolded after Muller parked his car at the garage at around 9:30 a.m. local time Tuesday, dousing himself and his son with the expensive cologne for the Truman graduation ceremony at Lehman College in the Bronx.

At about 3:30 p.m., they left the ceremony to head to a family celebration at a local restaurant.

After the feast, the group — which included Andre, his son, his wife, and other family members — complained they all smelled like their meal of shrimp, lobster and oysters.

Andre reached for the cologne he kept tucked between the driver's door and seat, but it was gone.

Without telling his family where he was headed, the enraged dad dropped off the grandmother and sped back to the garage.

Muller allegedly confronted garage attendants Ramon Hernandez, 51, and Joselin Encarnacion, 32, accusing them of swiping the pricey fragrance.

"There's a $200 bottle of cologne missing!" Muller screamed, sources said.

The attendants denied the theft and even let Andre search their office, they told police. But Andre reportedly became upset when he could not find the cologne and allegedly landed a vicious punch on Hernandez's jaw and repeatedly pounded him.

The attendant reportedly grabbed a chair and machete to ward off the attack, but Muller allegedly picked up a shovel and struck Hernandez, leaving a deep gash on his arm, police said.

Encarnacion pulled a homemade knife and jumped in to protect his pal, police said.

Isayah Muller, who led Truman High School to the city championship last fall, allegedly participated in the assault and was stabbed in the chest during the struggle, according to police.

The young man, who was set to attend Nassau Community College, was rushed to a nearby medical clinic by his father before being taken to the St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 6 p.m.

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