Photo via Getty Images
E. Elmhurst woman pleads
in samurai sword assault
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
An East Elmhurst woman
was convicted of assault
after attacking her boyfriend
with a samurai sword in the
summer of 2016, prosecutors
announced Monday.
After a three-week long
trial, Karla Barba, 40, was
found guilty of second-degree
assault and two counts of
endangering the welfare of
a child. She is due to return
to court for sentencing on
Feb. 21, where she faces up to
seven years in prison.
“This was an horrific
attack and it is amazing the
victim survived. The walls
and doors of the apartment
were splattered with blood
and the floors covered in
puddles of blood,” said
District Attorney Richard
Brown. “The defendant
called the incident an
accident. The jury, however,
thought differently and after
weighing all the evidence,
convicted the woman of
assault. The defendant
now faces a lengthy term of
incarceration.”
According to trial
testimony, on June 8, 2016,
Barba got into an argument
with her live-in boyfriend,
Franklin Larrea, in the
bedroom of Larrea’s 12-yearold
son. After Larrea pulled
Barba out of his son’s room,
Barba grabbed a nearby
samurai sword, which still
had the blade’s sheath on, and
smacked Larrea in the head.
The blade’s shealth fell
off the sword when Barba
hit Larrea two more times,
slicing him in the left forearm
and wrist.
As a result, Larrea lost a
significant amount of blood
from the deep cuts. He was
rushed to a local hospital,
where he received a lifesaving
blood transfusion.
However, Larrea’s wrist and
arm suffered severed nerves
and tendons from the cuts.
A report from the New York
Post states that Barba’s exfiance
was disgraced Queens
pol Hiram Monserrate.
Monserrate was convicted
of a misdemeanor assault
in 2009 after a video of him
attacking Barba resurfaced,
ultimately costing him his
Senate seat.
Barba’s lawyer, Stacey
Richman, requested a special
prosecutor when she found
out that Barba had previously
sued Queens prosecutors
back in 2010 for harassment.
Reach reporter Emily
Davenport by e-mail at
edavenport@qns.com or by
phone at (718) 224-5863 ext.
236.
Lighting up LIC
Unique art project shines light for all to see
The “Candela” projection in Long Island City. Photo by Beyti Barbaros
Kayaking instructor
Michael Smalley isn’t afraid
to take his students out at
night on the East River since
a 50-foot-tall candle in Long
Island City acts as a lighthouse
for him.
“When returning from
a kayak trip after dark, the
‘Candela’ projection acts as
a beacon of light guiding us
home,” said Smalley.
Candela is the name of the
large emerald green candle
that can be seen at night on a
smoke stack near the Plaxall
Gallery in Long Island City.
It has been illuminating the
neighborhood since July 4,
2017, and is another public art
piece by Brooklyn-based artist
Andrew Ratcliff.
In 2016, Ratcliff was
approached by Plaxall Gallery
managers Matthew Quigley
and Paula Kirby to create
public art for the neighborhood.
Ratcliff was happy to do so, and
immediately after seeing the
smoke stack near the gallery,
he was struck with the idea of
placing a candle on it.
“I can’t really explain why,”
said Ratcliff.
Although the image is
simple in appearance, making
it a reality was no easy feat.
It required the help of a team
of engineers, photographers
and videographers, according
to Ratcliff.
At the bottom of the smoke
stack, a theater light creates
the candle’s green base while
a projector plays video of the
candle flame on a loop.
The projector is housed
in a tan case along with a
computer that turns the
video projector on and off,
sends the video footage to the
projector and restarts the
video after 15 minutes when
the candle goes out.
The box that houses both
pieces of equipment had to
be engineered with wind
resistance in mind, since
any slight movement of the
projector could throw off the
image of the candle.
Ratcliff has painted murals
across the city and is especially
known for a piece called the
Waterfall Swing, which looks
exactly like it sounds.
The artist said that he likes
the element of surprise and
delight that his work usually
brings to the public. But
Candela does more than that.
It amplifies all the traditional
meanings of a candle,
including hope in darkness,
according to Ratcliff.
That’s a contrast to the
emotions evoked by the other
art piece on that same building
— a Matthew Barney piece
counting down the days until
the end of President Trump’s
first term in office.
Reach reporter Alejandra
O’Connell-Domenech by e-mail
at adomenech@qns.com or by
phone at (718) 224-5863 ext. 226.
IN THIS ISSUE HOW TO REACH US
MAIL: 38-15 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, NY 11361
PHONE: Display Advertising: (718) 260-4537 — Editorial: (718) 260-4539
FAX: Advertising: (718) 224-5821 — Classified: (718) 260-2549
Editorial (718) 224-2934
E-MAIL: Editorial: timesledgernews@schnepsmedia.com
Display Advertising: brice@schnepsmedia.com
Classified: classified@schnepsmedia.com
TO SUBSCRIBE: Call (718) 260-4521
Copyright©2018 Queens CNG LLC.
BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELLDOMENECH
Acts of Kindness...........................................8
Police Blotter................................................10
Editorials and Letters...............................20
QGuide ....................................................22-28
Sports.......................................................31-33
Classifieds.............................................35-42
TIMESLEDGER is published weekly by Queens CNG LLC, 38-15 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, NY.11361, (718) 229-0300. The entire contents of this publication are copyright 2018. All rights reserved. The newspaper will not be
liable for errors appearing in any advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Periodicals postage paid at Flushing, N.Y. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the TimesLedger C/O News Queens
CNG LLC. 38-15 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, N.Y. 11361.
TIMESLEDGER, F 2 EB. 1-7, 2019 TIMESLEDGER.COM
/TIMESLEDGER.COM
link
link
link
link
link
link
link
link
link
link
