Sybil Moses
Encyclopedia
Sybil Rappaport Moses was an American
lawyer and judge. She was the prosecutor
for the "Dr. X" murder trial of Mario Jascalevich
, only four years after she graduated from law school. Moses later was a judge of the New Jersey Superior Court
.
as Sybil Rappaport, she was raised in Irvington, New Jersey
. She earned her undergraduate degree in history from the University of Maryland, College Park
and a masters in international relations
at the University of Pennsylvania
. She was awarded a law degree from Rutgers School of Law - Newark, graduating with honors in 1974.
, prosecutor's office after completing her law school education, where she handled some 50 cases as an assistant prosecutor. Her most notable case was the 1978 "Dr. X" murder trial of Mario Jascalevich, which she took on only four years after completing law school. The case dated back to series of suspicious deaths of surgical patients at Riverdell Hospital
in Oradell, New Jersey
in the mid-1960s. An initial investigation did not turn up any conclusive evidence of wrongdoing and the case lay dormant for a decade. In 1976, M. A. Farber
of The New York Times
wrote a six-month long series of investigative articles which blamed a "Dr. X" for a series of murders at the hospital using curare
, a powerful muscle relaxant. The prosecutor's office reopened the case and an indictment was issued against Jascalevich, charging him with responsibility for five of the deaths after curare was found in bodies of patients that had been exhumed. The contentious case went to trial in February 1978, with Moses arguing that Jascalevich had played God, trying to make his colleagues look incompetent. Defense Attorney Raymond A. Brown
argued that Jascalevich was framed by incompetent colleagues and explained that the curare was used in canine experiments. Brown subpoenaed reporter Farber's notes, and Farber was jailed for 40 days for refusing to turn over the documents Brown had requested. The trial lasted eight months, then the longest criminal trial in New Jersey history; Jascalevich was acquitted of all charges.
in 1987. She was later named the Presiding Judge of the Criminal Part. She was named as the court's assignment judge in 1997, the first woman in New jersey ever appointed to that post, having been chosen by Chief Justice Deborah Poritz of the New Jersey Supreme Court
, the first woman to fill that post.
Moses issued an August 2003 ruling requiring the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
to release transcripts of radio communications between its staff that took place during the September 11 attacks. The release of the information had been part of an agreement between the Port Authority and The New York Times
, but the agency had backed out of the deal days later in response to privacy concerns of the victim's families. An attorney from the newspaper hailed Moses's decision and stated that the "transcripts will help to better understand how emergency operations were handled" within the World Trade Center
complex.
at age 69 at her Englewood, New Jersey
, home on January 23, 2009. She was survived by her husband, Stephen, as well as by a daughter, a son, and five grandchildren. Her husband died soon thereafter.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer and judge. She was the prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
for the "Dr. X" murder trial of Mario Jascalevich
Mario Jascalevich
The "Dr. X" killings were a series of suspicious deaths, by curare poisoning, in 1966 at a Bergen County, New Jersey hospital. A newspaper investigation during the mid-1960s led to the indictment of an Argentina-born physician, Mario Enrique Jascalevich , in 1976...
, only four years after she graduated from law school. Moses later was a judge of the New Jersey Superior Court
New Jersey Superior Court
The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with state-wide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The Superior Court has three divisions: the Appellate Division is essentially an intermediate appellate court while the Law and Chancery Divisions function as trial courts...
.
Early life and education
Born in Newark, New JerseyNewark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
as Sybil Rappaport, she was raised in Irvington, New Jersey
Irvington, New Jersey
Irvington is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a total population of 53,926, a decline of 11.2% from the 60,695 residents enumerated in the 2000 Census.-Geography:...
. She earned her undergraduate degree in history from the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
and a masters in international relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. She was awarded a law degree from Rutgers School of Law - Newark, graduating with honors in 1974.
Prosecutor
She joined the Bergen County, New JerseyBergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
, prosecutor's office after completing her law school education, where she handled some 50 cases as an assistant prosecutor. Her most notable case was the 1978 "Dr. X" murder trial of Mario Jascalevich, which she took on only four years after completing law school. The case dated back to series of suspicious deaths of surgical patients at Riverdell Hospital
Riverdell Hospital
Riverdell Hospital was an 80-bed hospital at 576 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, New Jersey in the United States. The hospital was established in 1959 and thrived for many years until it became associated with the "Dr. X" murder trial of former chief surgeon Dr. Mario Jascalevich...
in Oradell, New Jersey
Oradell, New Jersey
Oradell is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,978. The borough's territory includes a dam on the Hackensack River that forms the Oradell Reservoir...
in the mid-1960s. An initial investigation did not turn up any conclusive evidence of wrongdoing and the case lay dormant for a decade. In 1976, M. A. Farber
M. A. Farber
Myron A. Farber is an American newspaper reporter for The New York Times, whose investigations into the deaths of several patients at an Oradell, New Jersey hospital led to the murder trial of Dr. Mario Jascalevich, a physician at the hospital who was alleged to have used a powerful muscle...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote a six-month long series of investigative articles which blamed a "Dr. X" for a series of murders at the hospital using curare
Curare
Curare is a common name for various arrow poisons originating from South America. The three main types of curare are:* tubocurare...
, a powerful muscle relaxant. The prosecutor's office reopened the case and an indictment was issued against Jascalevich, charging him with responsibility for five of the deaths after curare was found in bodies of patients that had been exhumed. The contentious case went to trial in February 1978, with Moses arguing that Jascalevich had played God, trying to make his colleagues look incompetent. Defense Attorney Raymond A. Brown
Raymond A. Brown
Raymond A. Brown was an American criminal defense lawyer who represented a wide variety of high-profile clients, ranging from politicians to accused spies, including New Jersey state senator Angelo Errichetti , boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter and "Dr...
argued that Jascalevich was framed by incompetent colleagues and explained that the curare was used in canine experiments. Brown subpoenaed reporter Farber's notes, and Farber was jailed for 40 days for refusing to turn over the documents Brown had requested. The trial lasted eight months, then the longest criminal trial in New Jersey history; Jascalevich was acquitted of all charges.
Judge
After five years with the prosecutor's office, Moses was named to serve as a state administrative law judge. She was appointed as a judge on New Jersey Superior CourtNew Jersey Superior Court
The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with state-wide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The Superior Court has three divisions: the Appellate Division is essentially an intermediate appellate court while the Law and Chancery Divisions function as trial courts...
in 1987. She was later named the Presiding Judge of the Criminal Part. She was named as the court's assignment judge in 1997, the first woman in New jersey ever appointed to that post, having been chosen by Chief Justice Deborah Poritz of the New Jersey Supreme Court
New Jersey Supreme Court
The New Jersey Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It has existed in three different forms under the three different state constitutions since the independence of the state in 1776...
, the first woman to fill that post.
Moses issued an August 2003 ruling requiring the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is a bi-state port district, established in 1921 through an interstate compact, that runs most of the regional transportation infrastructure, including the bridges, tunnels, airports, and seaports, within the Port of New York and New Jersey...
to release transcripts of radio communications between its staff that took place during the September 11 attacks. The release of the information had been part of an agreement between the Port Authority and The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, but the agency had backed out of the deal days later in response to privacy concerns of the victim's families. An attorney from the newspaper hailed Moses's decision and stated that the "transcripts will help to better understand how emergency operations were handled" within the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
complex.
Death
Moses died of breast cancerBreast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
at age 69 at her Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 27,147.Englewood was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of...
, home on January 23, 2009. She was survived by her husband, Stephen, as well as by a daughter, a son, and five grandchildren. Her husband died soon thereafter.