The tragic double murder of Bladimy Mathurin and his stepson, Chinwai Mode, outside their Brooklyn apartment in Flatbush Gardens has left their family devastated and seeking justice. Marie Delille, Mathurin’s wife and Mode’s mother, witnessed the horrific event, a culmination of years of alleged harassment from their downstairs neighbor, Jason Pass. Delille has filed a $10 million lawsuit against the building’s owners, Renaissance Equity Holdings and Clipper Reality, alleging negligence and wrongful death. The lawsuit centers on the inaction of building management regarding Pass’s erratic behavior and the shocking conduct of a security guard who allegedly filmed the murders and shared the footage online without calling 911. Delille argues that the building’s negligence created a dangerous environment leading to the tragic deaths of her loved ones.
The lawsuit paints a disturbing picture of escalating tensions between the family and Pass. Delille claims that Pass, motivated by apparent prejudice against their Haitian heritage, subjected the family to years of harassment, including derogatory comments and false reports to child protective services. While the initial complaints revolved around noise, Delille believes Pass’s actions were fueled by discriminatory animus. The family repeatedly reported Pass’s increasingly aggressive behavior, including banging on their door in the middle of the night and making threatening remarks, but the building management allegedly failed to take appropriate action. Delille contends that had the building addressed their concerns seriously, the tragedy could have been averted.
The most egregious allegation in the lawsuit concerns the security guard’s actions during and after the shooting. Delille alleges that the guard, instead of intervening or calling 911, passively observed the murders unfold via surveillance cameras. Even more shockingly, the guard then allegedly shared the graphic footage online, where it went viral on platforms like Worldstar and Facebook. This callous act compounded the family’s grief and trauma, forcing them to relive the horrifying event as it circulated publicly. Delille maintains that the security guard’s inaction and subsequent dissemination of the footage constitute a grave breach of duty and contributed to the devastating outcome.
Delille’s lawsuit emphasizes the building management’s alleged negligence in hiring and supervising the security guard, as well as their overall failure to provide a safe environment for their tenants. The suit alleges that Flatbush Gardens has a history of violence, citing previous arrests of gang members and a life sentence handed down to a gang leader operating within the complex. This history, coupled with the family’s repeated complaints about Pass’s behavior, underscores the building’s alleged failure to address known safety concerns. Delille’s attorney argues that the owners’ negligence created a climate of permissiveness that allowed the tragic events to occur.
The emotional toll of the murders and the subsequent handling of the situation by the building management has been immense for Delille and her three surviving children. She describes her late husband as a good man and a devoted father, working two jobs to support their family while she attended nursing school. The loss of her son and husband has left an irreparable void in their lives, compounded by the trauma of witnessing the murders firsthand and the subsequent online dissemination of the footage. Delille and her children are struggling to cope with the grief and emotional distress, relying on medication and therapy to navigate their new reality.
Despite the unimaginable pain and grief, Delille has shown remarkable resilience, continuing her nursing studies and determined to graduate. She seeks justice for her family, holding both the shooter and the building management accountable for their roles in the tragedy. The lawsuit is not just about financial compensation, but about acknowledging the systemic failures that allowed such a horrific event to take place and ensuring that similar tragedies are prevented in the future. Delille’s fight is a testament to her strength and determination to honor the memory of her loved ones and create a safer future for her surviving children.
