By Shayna Jacobs
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — A man who shot a retired NYPD detective while trying to rob an upscale jewelry store pled guilty to robbery on Tuesday and will be sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Rafael Rabinovich-Ardens, 21, entered the Waldorf-Astoria hotel on Park Avenue with a loaded .45 on Nov. 15, 2008 with the intention of swiping more than $1 million in diamonds and other valuable jewelry pieces, according to prosecutors.
A former police officer working as a security guard at the hotel confronted Rabinovich-Ardens after he smashed into a display case filled with 14 diamond rings, four pairs of earrings, two bracelets and a necklace. Rabinovich-Ardens fired several shots as the two struggled.
Gregory Boyle, 55, the retired officer, was shot once in the chest and survived. He was present Tuesday for his assailant's court appearance and plans to make a statement on Feb. 16 at the sentencing.
Boyle, an police officer for over 21 years, told reporters he still has bullet fragments lodged in his chest and has other medical and emotional problems stemming from the incident. He said he feels no sympathy for the young gunman, who claimed he had a troubled childhood when he argued for a shorter sentence.
"A lot of people out there have had a hard life," Boyle said. "They don't go around committing crimes and shooting people."
Rabinovich-Ardens, an Israeli native, is expected to be deported after serving his prison term. He faced five to 25 years in prison if convicted at trial.
