Criminal charges pending in Sean Bell trial

Queens Supreme Court Justice Arthur Cooperman refused Thursday  to drop the charges against three detectives accused of killing Sean  Bell in a 50-bullet barrage on his wedding day.
Bell, a 25-year-old  father of two, was killed on Nov. 25, 2006, near the Kalua Cabaret strip  club in Jamaica, Queens, where hed just left his bachelors party.   Bell was scheduled to be married the next day.  Plainclothes cops, who  were standing outside of the club as part of a prostitution sting,  thought Bell and his friends had a gun.
During the barrage, Bells  friend, Trent Benefield, was badly wounded.
The issue of whether  Detectives Gescard Isnora, Marc Cooper and Michael Oliver let the  victims know they were cops before they opened fire is key to the case.
Defense  lawyers said the detectives fired in self-defense because they believed  Guzman was reaching for a gun when Isnora stepped in front of Bells  car and declared, Police, show your hands!
No gun was found and  none of the detectives took the stand, though their accounts of the  incident were read at trial.
In their bid to dismiss the charges,  defense lawyers attacked the eight counts against the detectives  starting with the two most serious charges against Isnora and  Oliverfirst degree manslaughter for killing Bell and seriously injuring  Guzman, and second-degree manslaughter for killing Bell.
The defense  won a legal round Thursday when they got prosecutors to vouch for the  accuracy of testimony that buttresses their argument that the cops had  reason to believe that Guzman had a gun.
Coopermans ruling came  after prosecutor John Castellano insisted that cops shouldnt get  special treatment under the law.
Thats very much what this case is  about, he said.  The rules apply to everyone.
We know that in 99%  of the cases, these trial orders of dismissal are denied, Kartagener  said.  But we still make it.
Another defense lawyer, Anthony Ricco,  reminded Cooperman that the undercover detectives were not legally  required to identify themselves before they fired.
Cooperman is  expected to take at least two weeks to render his verdict.