By Eddie Small and Ben Fractenberg | September 29, 2016 2:28pm
Garivaldi Castillo was arraigned on Thursday morning in The Bronx.
THE BRONX — The Bronx District Attorney’s Office is considering filing murder charges against a suspect connected to the explosion that killed FDNY Battalion Chief Michael Fahy.
Garivaldi Castillo, 32, appeared in court on Thursday morning wearing jeans and a black hooded sweater after being arrested for his role as apivotal figure at the marijuana farm inside the building at 304 W. 234th St. that exploded Tuesday morning.
He has no prior convictions and has so far just been charged with two counts of criminal possession of marijuana, although Assistant District Attorney Christine Scaccia said that murder charges against him were still possible. He was ordered held without bail.
Castillo is currently unemployed and not in school, according to Scaccia. He was seen driving to and from the Kingsbridge building in a gray BMW and had keys on him that opened the door, she said.
The site of the blast is still an active crime scene that Scaccia said is being investigated “literally and figuratively brick by brick,” and officials believe the explosion was caused by the way the marijuana grow house had been set up, which included elements like flammable liquids and restricted ventilation.
Castillo’s defense attorney Francisco Serrano downplayed the amount of marijuana that had been in the building.
“These are what, baby plants,” he said. “That’s nothing. You can’t smoke that.”
He also claimed that officials had no substantive links between Castillo’s actions and the death of Fahy, arguing that he should not be charged with murder because of a gas leak and that officials were rushing to judgment about his client’s culpability.
“This is a rush to say to The Bronx, to the people of the United States, we are on top of everything,” he said.
Police have also picked up 34-year-old Julio Salcedo as a suspect in the blast.
He will be interviewed and likely hit with marijuana charges as well, according to theNYPD.
Fahy was part of the FDNY for 17 years, and his father had been a battalion chief as well.
FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro and Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Thursday that he had been posthumously promoted to Deputy Chief.
“Chief Fahy achieved the rank of Chief Officer faster than any active member of the department,” Nigro said in a statement. “He was a rising star who accomplished so much during his 17 years with the FDNY, and is deserving of this promotion for his selfless dedication and service.”
Castillo is due back in court on Oct. 4.
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