``How long am I going to be here? Ferguson asked an officer as he arrived at Downstate Correctional Facility in Fishkill. Prison officials had been notified by Kuby that an assault was imminent, and were in the process of following up on the warning when Ferguson was attacked. nytimes.com. [52], Many African-Americans expressed concern that the LIRR shooting would lead to a backlash of violence and racial animosities against the black community. Though other massacres have far superseded it in terms of casualties, there are aspects of the railcar shooting that, even two decades later, make it stand out in the sad pantheon of rampages that have horrified the nation. Fans embraced Jack for being the one "normal"guy in over his head in a town full of eccentric super-geniuses. "[10] His landlord became increasingly concerned about Ferguson's obsession with racism and apparent growing mental instability, and asked him to move out by the end of the month. [9] Family friends said that this deeply disturbed Ferguson. Canada Introduces 'X' as a Third Sex Category for Passport Holders (Published 2017) The new designation, which begins Aug. 31, is a way to allow Canadians to identify by the gender of their . "Remember now, they've had shootings in schools; this is horrible. [11], Ferguson was the subject of a Saturday Night Live comedy sketch in which he, portrayed by Tim Meadows, declared "I did not shoot them, they shot me" and asked witnesses questions about shooting him while they were on the stand, then ducking when they pointed to him as the killer. Kimberly is now in her second year at Bucknell University. Morton's gravitas and screen presence have served him well since Eureka, as he's gone on to star in a number of shows such as Proof, Scandal (for which he won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series), and God Friended Me. Ferguson defended himself in court, cross-examining the very people he terrorized. [1] [2] Early life [ edit] Ferguson was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, and is a graduate of Appleby College and McGill University. "[3] Passengers Michael O'Connor, Kevin Blum, and Mark McEntee tackled him and pinned him to one of the train's seats. [32] George Peck, the prosecutor in Ferguson's trial, insisted Ferguson's apparent lack of cooperation with his lawyers was a defense tactic to avoid a trial. Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon said of the sentence maximum; "it's not quite infinity, but it will do. [14][15], Ferguson has one son, born in 2013, whom he raises with partner Lindsay Thompson. Before Columbine, Virginia Tech, Aurora and Newtown, there was the Long Island Rail Road. Police officers remove a body from a Long Island Railroad car at the Merillon Ave. station in Garden City, N.Y. But Quinn's other passion is music he studied with famed guitarist Joe Satriani when he was younger, and played in L.A.-based bands Mad Theory and Scattergood. He fired methodically over several minutes, reloading at least once, before the train arrived at the next station, where terrified survivors ran screaming from the exits. Sound familiar yet? Though he's busy with acting these days, he still finds time to dabble on the guitar from time to time. Everyone in the institution knew he was going to be set up. At Great Meadow, Ferguson is separated from the general prison population in a special unit of 30 one-inmate cells. [19] On January 5, 1994, a report by a court-appointed psychologist and psychiatrist concluded Ferguson was suffering from paranoid personality disorder but was competent to stand trial. She's also produced news segments and investigative reports, winning a Suncoast Emmy for her work producing Saving America's Heroes. Dr. Grace Monroe was the compassionate yet fiery neuroscientist and wife of Henry Deacon, both his intellectual equal and his partner in running their mechanic shop. "[30] Kunstler and Kuby argued Ferguson had been driven insane by racial prejudice and could not be held criminally liable for his actions, even though he had committed the killings. Her success at passing gun control legislation has been spotty through nine terms in the House. There is no doubt that Colin Ferguson, if sane, was guilty. The Long Island Rail Road train car in which Colin Ferguson killed six people and injured another 19 a quarter-century ago is still in service, providing daily . He also told Judge Belfi of an alleged conspiracy by the Jewish Defense League to kill him in prison if he was convicted. Colin Ferguson Death Fact Check Colin is alive and kicking and is currently 65 years old. The train's cars were less than 10 years old when the shooting occurred. She examines the Maytag Man who's kneeling on display, tugging at his ear and playing with his jacket zipper as he informs us that the washer is more than eye candy and can handle . [3][4], Ferguson was a member of the Montreal improv group On the Spot. The setup saw U.S. The shooting, which occured 20 years ago Saturday, was one of the worst mass killings of the time. ``He was very nervous. The prosecutor, George Peck, said victims were initially reticent about being cross-examined by the gunman but were reassured after a meeting between the victims and prosecutors at police headquarters. Click to reveal Some of Ferguson's other victims and their family members have also become involved in gun control efforts. Eureka was populated by genius theoretical physicists, engineers, and all manner of scientists who worked for the top-secret research facility Global Dynamics. On November 11, Ferguson agreed he would stop resisting efforts to meet with a court-appointed psychiatrist. So many ads out there are confusing, and you watch all the way to the end, and you still don't know what they're about! He's referring to white people when he said devils even tho one asian was one of his victims in the 1993 Long Island train shooting, but . But it's hard to ignore the similarities. [11] Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson delivered a sermon at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City, during a service attended by the victims' grieving families. [10], Von Herman was killed in a car crash in 1978 when Ferguson was aged 20, and his funeral was attended by government and military luminaries. He sat on the southwestern end of the car,[3] carrying a Ruger P89 semi-automatic pistol and a canvas bag filled with 160 rounds of ammunition. MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) _ Reality seemed to sink in Thursday for Colin Ferguson. [29], Kunstler and Kuby proposed an innovative defense: Ferguson had been driven to temporary insanity by a psychiatric condition they termed "black rage. In fact, Fishkill was only the first stop for Ferguson. The bizarre trial of Colin Ferguson was an obscene spectacle, a cross between bear-baiting and some weird skit in which inmates take over a mental . Deranged gunman Colin Ferguson methodically walked through the train, firing at random and pausing to reload as screaming passengers tried to flee. Among the defense witnesses Ferguson requested was President Bill Clinton. That's a luxury the mother wishes she shared. ``I have a lighter heart today, knowing that Ferguson is no longer around, said Carolyn McCarthy, whose husband, Dennis, 52, was killed and son, Kevin, 27, was partially paralyzed by the gunman. [7] As Ferguson was escorted from the courthouse, a reporter asked him if he hated whites, to which Ferguson replied, "It's a lie". As a rival to Douglas Fargo, the two are in constant competition, but Larry is annoying on a level even Fargo can't deal with. The main protagonist of the show was U.S. Legal experts pointed out that Ferguson's questions were pointless and were not geared towards rebutting testimony. [5], In September 1992, Ferguson was awarded $26,250 for his workers' compensation claim against Ademco Security Group. . In TV voice acting, you can hear him as the voice of Johnny Storm, a.k.a. She's even helmed episodes of half a dozen comic book series, winning theNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series in 2019 for her work on Marvel's Luke Cage. [6] He was the lead in Eureka, a Syfy original series broadcast between 2006 and 2012, for which he was also a producer in its later seasons. It's crazy.". While browsing the appliance section of a store, a woman spots actor Colin Ferguson posing as a Maytag washer and dryer set. [14] He had been robbed by two men, so he started carrying the gun with him in a paper bag. imberly Combatti, left, and her mother, Lisa pose in this Nov. 29, 2013 photo released by Lisa Combatti. The audience surrogate and heart of the show was Sheriff Jack Carter. "[3] He also repeatedly pleaded with those holding him: "Don't shoot me. Larry may be annoying, but the actor who played him, Christopher Jacot, certainly isn't, with a successful career as a screen actor as well as a voice actor. [7] He was unemployed[9] and lived around many other West Indian immigrants. Long Island Rail Road shooter Colin Ferguson, who killed six people and wounded 19 more on a train two decades ago, tried to incite a deadly prison riot in 2011, according to a court ruling. Von Herman was a wealthy pharmacist and the managing director of the large pharmaceutical company Hercules Agencies,[8] and was described by Time magazine as "one of the most prominent businessmen in Jamaica". Neil Grayston Douglas Fargo/S.A.R.A.H. Colin Ferguson was born on January 14, 1958 and is 65 years old now. "These people had nowhere to go.". "[27] Kuby called the attack racially motivated, and later alleged some jail officials and guards had advance knowledge of the impending assault. Well-meaning but bumbling Douglas Fargo was Eureka's junior scientist, beyond brilliant but often dismissed by his peers for his . Our children are not safe," she said. It may surprise you to learn Ferguson is a Christmas movie veteran, too, having appeared in no less than four that's right, four romantic Christmas movies for Lifetime and Hallmark. Morton even won an Audie Award in 2020 for his audiobook narration of Ta-Nehisi Coates' debut novel, The Water Dancer. "[7] They also included the names and telephone numbers of the Lt. On Dec. 7, 1993, when Lisa was seven-and-one-half-months pregnant with Kimberly, Ferguson shot Lisa in the hip, but she went on to deliver Kimberly normally on Feb. 3, 1994. Though he keeps busy with all his guest roles, he's just as content to be a doting dad to his two kids and keeping active on social media. Ferguson's lawyers claimed prison guards showed him the headlines of newspaper stories about Pataki and claimed Ferguson was "headed for electrocution sometime soon." Grayston may not be acting as much anymore, but he still keeps up a regular presence on social media, where he is completely and hilariously a full-blown "cat dad" like, seriously an amazing cat dad with his cat Purrcy appearing on Grayston's Twitter and Instagram posts even more than his incredible wife. The judge said, "Colin Ferguson will never return to society, and will spend the rest of his natural life in prison." And here's a fun fact:Her first recurring TV role after Eureka was playing Laurel Burke in drama Rush, one of the only non-genre roles of her career, with Tom Ellis in the lead role. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. "[13] He was suspended from the school in June 1991 as a result of the threats. Colin Ferguson's rugged good looks anddown-to-earth demeanor served him well in the role, and fans of other series have since learned why Eureka fans loved him so much. Ferguson told the attorneys he was receiving messages straight from God, and spoke of conspiracies to destroy him by those opposed to God. Case Again Raises Sanity Issue", "Suspect in L.I.R.R. While it wasn't initially a hit with critics, it gained enormous ratings for the network. Officials there said, "He was lucid and clear and aware of what was going on. Christmas in Montana: Directed by T.W. Ferguson, who was declared sane, represented himself in a bizarre murder trial and was convicted of six counts of murder and sentenced to 315 years in jail. But Eureka was never as concerned with its critics as with its fans, and fans embraced it in return. [9] Also that year, he was forced to leave a class after a disciplinary hearing board found that he had acted overly aggressively towards the teacher. Gorycki said she has been approached on several occasions to consider running for public office, like her friend the congresswoman, but has opted against it. The New York Daily News reported the fight escalated after Ferguson told Rifkin, "I wiped out six devils, and you only killed women," to which Rifkin responded, "Yeah, but I had more victims." Marshal and blue-collar everyman Jack Carter, who, though a twist of fate, ends up becoming sheriff of the town. [8] On September 5, 2011, he appeared on the podcast Disasterpiece Theatre to discuss what Eureka might have looked like if it had been directed by Michael Bay. He's still kept his leading man looks, might as well use them! Later, he attended a symposium by a faculty member discussing her experiences in South Africa under apartheid. Ferguson showed no emotion as he sat in the back of a police car, which some passengers said was as shocking and disturbing as the violence of the shooting itself. Six of the victims were killed and nineteen others were wounded before Ferguson was tackled and held down by other passengers on the train. [9], In April 1993,[10] Ferguson moved to California in search of new career opportunities. [18] Dr. Allen Reichman, a psychiatrist who interviewed Ferguson, indicated in his report that Ferguson may have been feigning mental illness when he spoke of conspiracies against him. Ferguson was held down for several minutes; Andrew Roderick, an off-duty LIRR police officer who was picking up his wife from the train, then boarded the train and handcuffed him. [45], In 1994, Ferguson was apparently involved in a fistfight with fellow inmate Joel Rifkin. [3] Two people were injured in the stampede of passengers. [10] Ferguson moved back to New York in May 1993 because, as he told a friend, he did not like competing with immigrants and Hispanics for jobs. (Mike Albans/AP). He knew it was the last time he was going to see the light of day, he said. [51] The M3s were to be replaced with M9 railcars during the late 2010s. Join Facebook to connect with Colin Ferguson and others you may know. The couple, from Hawthorne, N.J., decided to shift their focus, drawing on their daughter's own tragic past. A Corrections Department spokeswoman said Ferguson was not allowed to conduct face-to-face interviews in prison because of an "unsatisfactory" disciplinary record. Donald Belfi, a retired. Moore offered to represent Ferguson pro bono. Shooting Case", "New Jersey's New Governor; Grand Jury Indicts Suspect on 93 Counts in Attack That Killed 6 on Long Island Rail Road", "Suspect in Rail Shootings May Have Kunstler's Help", "Hearing Held on Bid to Repress Lawyers in Murder Case", "Lawyers' Publicity Ban Eased in Rail Killings", "Man Held in Train Killings Is Beaten, Jail Officials Say", "5 Nassau Inmates Charged With Assault on Colin Ferguson", "No Execution For Suspect In Shootings, Judge Says", "Black Rage: In Defense of a Mass Murderer", "An Insanity Defense In L.I.R.R. self-described enormous fan of sci-fi and fantasy, From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily and Finding Home. Ferguson's trial was noted for a number of unusual developments, including his dismissing his defense counsel, insisting on representing himself and questioning his victims on the stand. [7] He graduated in the top third of his class. Tags: Actor Born in 1972 Canadian Three years later, she guest-starred on the hit show, Lucifer in which her old co-star, Tom Ellis, just happened to play the title character. Both units continued to operate in regular service with these new numbers. But with Maytag, I always understand them from the beginning. [7] They included a reference to "the false allegations against me by the filthy Caucasian racist female on the #1 line", a reference to his February 1992 arrest. [11] The Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Commuter Railroad placed more officers on trains and increased the visibility of police in response to the shootings. On Dec. 7, 1993, when Lisa was seven-and-one-half-months pregnant with Kimberly, Ferguson shot Lisa in the hip, but she went on to deliver Kimberly normally on Feb. 3, 1994. [13] Although he was free to reapply after the suspension, he chose not to. Genre fans likely know her well:Cerra has had guest spots in shows like iZombie, Deadly Class, and as Trini's mom in the 2017 Power Rangers movie. Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. A suburban New York judge who presided over the 1995 trial of the Long Island Rail Road massacre shooter, sentencing Colin Ferguson to 315 years in prison, has died. He also used the sentencing as an opportunity to criticize New York's controversial Sentencing Cap Law, which would have capped each of Ferguson's sentences at 50 years and required that they all be served concurrently had no one died in the massacre, since all of the felonies he committed on the train were part of one occurrence. [49][non-primary source needed], At least a half-dozen lawsuits related to the shootings were filed against the Long Island Rail Road and its parent company, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 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