DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN (PIX11) -- The man who detectives say was the gunman who shot and killed 7-month-old Kaori Patterson-Moore went before a judge on Wednesday, the day after the baby's burial.
Amuri Greene, 21, pleaded not guilty to the crime, but prosecutors argued that the evidence against Greene is overwhelming.
Greene entered the courtroom on crutches, having apparently been injured during an escape from the shooting scene on the back of a motor scooter.
Greene appeared in the same second-floor courtroom where his alleged accomplice, Matthew Rodriguez, 18, had made his first court appearance the day before, in front of the same judge.
Once Wednesday's hearing began, Greene sat at the defense table with his head down nearly the entire time. Prosecutors read into the court record how Greene faced multiple counts of second-degree murder, attempted murder, and other felonies related to the April 1 gun attack.
It was captured on surveillance video, which showed two men on a motor scooter on the street in a business district in East Williamsburg. The person on the back of the moped is clearly seen raising his gun and firing. Prosecutors said in court that the gunman is Greene.
"It turned into an absolute nightmare for this family," an assistant district attorney said from the prosecution table. "The defendant was identified immediately following the shooting," he said.
Greene's court appearance came the day after Kaori Patterson-Moore's burial, and also came a day after the alleged driver of the motor scooter, Rodriguez, was brought into court after having been extradited from Pennsylvania. Rodriguez had allegedly fled there to avoid prosecution.
On his way to court on Tuesday, Rodriguez tried to place all of the blame on Greene.
"It was not my fault! I didn't pull the trigger!" Rodriguez shouted as detectives led him out of the 90th police precinct to head to court.
"I promise I didn't know! I didn't know he was gonna do that!" he continued. "I did not know he was gonna pull the trigger!"
At court on Wednesday, prosecutors made clear that they think both men are equally responsible for the attack, which they said put a whole community at risk.
"They were looking to shoot at a person, they missed, and hit the baby in her stroller," said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, just outside of the courtroom, after the Wednesday afternoon hearing.
"[They] also injured her brother," the D.A. continued. "I don't want people to forget that Kaori's life was taken, but her brother was also shot."
"That trauma will last with that family forever," Gozalez said.
Both men are scheduled to return to court for second appearances before the judge on June 10. Both are being held in jail in the meantime without any bail.