The Nation - News from Oct. 27, 1987

The prosecution’s star witness seemingly contradicted his previous testimony that a gang of white youths left a Howard Beach party to “go kill� three blacks, saying the teens never intended to fight or kill anyone. Robert Riley, 18, testified that he was in a car that was following Michael Griffith, 23, when Griffith ran onto the Belt Parkway and was struck and killed by a car. “Everyone left there (the party) to go have a fight?� asked defense attorney Stephen Murphy, who represents one of four white youths on trial on murder and manslaughter charges in the 1986 attack. “No,� Riley answered. That testimony differed dramatically from Riley’s testimony last week that another defendant, Jon Lester, 18, rushed into the birthday party and shouted: “Niggers on the boulevard . . . let’s go kill them.�