By Jeff Lipton
"I'll be there every time for every one of them," Montalban said recently of the upcoming court cases for the suspects who were arrested and charged in the Sept. 23 home invasion at 47 West End Ave. Her son, John Henry Romano Jr., who is now 10, is still recovering from the near-fatal shooting.
Williams, 22, of Brooklyn, pleaded guilty on June 4 to burglary, robbery, assault and criminal possession of a weapon, according to Eric Phillips, a spokesman for Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice. Williams could be sentenced to a maximum of 25 years in prison by Nassau County Court Judge Gerald Carter, Phillips said. He was originally scheduled to be sentenced on July 10, but the court date was postponed until July 30.
"I'm happy," said Montalban of the possible sentence facing Williams. "I wish he could get more for what he did to my son."
A second defendant, Rasheed Watson, 21, of Paterson, N.J., faces similar charges, but Watson has opted to take his chances with a jury, Phillips said. Jury selection was slated to begin on July 16.
Police are still searching for a third suspect.
John Romano Jr., who lives in Far Rockaway, was on a sleepover at his cousin's house in Inwood when the three suspects, armed with at least two handguns, stormed into the home at about 11:10 p.m. last Sept. 23. They exchanged gunfire with one occupant of the home, a licensed pistol owner, police said.
During the exchange, the boy was caught in the crossfire and shot in the head. He was hospitalized in extremely critical condition.
Williams, who was also shot during the exchange, was arrested on Oct. 4 at Brookdale Hospital, where he was seeking treatment for his gunshot wound, police said. A 22-year-old man from Far Rockaway, who was also visiting the Inwood home at the time, was also wounded during the shootout.
Watson was arrested on Jan. 9 in New Jersey after detectives reportedly investigated Williams's associates.
John Romano Jr. has undergone extensive therapy and, according to his mother, has made a remarkable recovery from what was a life-threatening injury. Doctors said the boy will not require further surgery, even though he still has bullet fragments in his brain, his mother said. He recently received a prosthetic eye, and still does not have full use of one arm. But he does not need a wheelchair to get around anymore, except when he has to walk far, because his legs are still weak.
"He walks around the house," said Montalban, adding that her son still receives physical and speech therapy twice a week at home and four times a week at school. "He's doing really good. We're able to breathe a little easier now."
On March 15, two weeks after he finished full-time rehabilitation at St. Mary's Hospital for Children in Bayside, Queens, John returned to school at P.S. 43 in Far Rockaway, and has been promoted to sixth grade, Montalban said. He was named grand marshal of the Walk for St. Mary's Kids in Queens on June 10. Beach Bagel & Deli in Long Beach, where Montalban works, donated $1,000 to the cause, she said.
But Montalban said the shooting has robbed her son of his precious childhood years. Before he was wounded, he was looking forward to playing football in the Far Rockaway Ravens youth football league. "He can't do that now," she said. "This has taken a lot from him."
Montalban said that even though he gets depressed when he sees other kids playing because he can't participate, "For the most part his spirits are good. He's a fighter, he really is," she said.
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