Murder Conviction in Library Attack

By Michael Rogers -- Library Journal, 12/15/2006

A May 2005 attack in the stacks of the Riverhead Free Library, NY, apparently a robbery gone wrong, led to the fatal injury of an 85-year-old patron and a murder sentence of 25 years to life. Library surveillance videos allegedly showed Garner Allen, 31, stalking Ruth Seybold for several minutes before knocking her down and fleeing with her purse. Seybold sustained head injuries during the attack that led to her death three months later. “This cries out for maximum time,” Judge C. Randall Hinrichs said at the October 25 sentencing, noting the location of the attack.

New York Newsday reported that Allen maintained his innocence throughout the trial. The defendant's attorney, Steven Wilutis, denied that the tapes show his client striking the victim and maintained that she simply fell down, adding that Allen notified the library staff that Seybold was injured and needed assistance. Riverhead library director Lisa Jacobs told LJ that the facility has both security guards and a camera system but could not comment further because of ongoing litigation.