Ronell Wilson was convicted of his execution-style murder of two undercover police officers and the jury issued the first federal death sentence in New York City in over 50 years, according to The New York Times. Wilson is being held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
One of Wilson’s guards, Nancy Gonzalez, worked the night shift and the two would talk for hours on end, according to inmates. They would even go missing for minutes at a time. They were caught kissing a couple of times, confirming what many believed to be an affair.
Gonzalez would finally admit that the two had sex on multiple occasions for the purpose of having a child. She said she knew of the complications of the relationship, which included her being sent to jail and telling the child about the father. When she spoke to another inmate, Gonzalez said, “Why not give him a child, as far as giving him some kind of hope?”
Gonzalez was arraigned in court on Tuesday of federal charges of sexual abuse of a person in custody. The reason for this charge is that an inmate cannot legally consent to having sex. She faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. She is in her eighth month of the pregnancy.
Gonzalez’s lawyer, Anthony L. Ricco, told the press outside the courtroom that “She’s had a very tragic life and as this case proceeds, you’ll learn more about it and how these affected her judgment. People find love in the strangest places.”
In March of 2003, Wilson entered the back seat of a vehicle on Staten Island. In it were undercover detectives James V. Nemorin and Rodney J. Andrews. They were running a gun operation as part of their assignment. Wilson shot both men in the back of the head.
The affair between Gonzalez and Wilson started in March and lasted until August. This is when Wilson was transferred to solitary confinement without a reason, according to court documents.
Omar Daza, a special agent with the Office of the Inspector General, started to investigate after multiple inmates reported that Gonzalez was having an affair with another inmate. One inmate said he saw Gonzalez in Wilson’s cell while his pants were off. All of this was confirmed by security footage from the prison’s cameras.
“I know what is going to be said about me. I know that for me as a parent, how am I going to explain this to this little boy? ‘Mommy was in the military, Mommy was a C.O.,’ ” she said, “And then the opposite end is with a person who took lives.”