Monday, April 4, 2005

D.A. BROWN: LANDLORD SENTENCED TO 17 YEARS IN PRISON FOR MANSLAUGHTER IN BEATING DEATH OF TENANT

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today that a South Ozone Park landlord has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for intentional manslaughter in the beating death of a 59-year-old woman who was a tenant in his home.

District Attorney Brown said, “The defendant admitted his guilt and acknowledged that he beat the victim to death. The penalty imposed by the court was more than warranted considering the violent and brutal nature of the crime.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Pakenauth Geer, 59, of 107-59 125th Street in South Ozone Park, Queens. The defendant pled guilty on February 28, 2005 to Manslaughter in the First Degree before Queens Supreme Court Justice Robert J. Hanophy who imposed today’s determinate sentence of 17 years in prison.

District Attorney Brown said that the defendant admitted that on November 24, 2001 at about 12:30 p.m. he repeatedly beat Jiraji Hanuman, 59, over the head with a stick, fatally injuring her. The defendant called 911 and was taken to the hospital for treatment after drinking a caustic substance in an apparent suicide attempt. The victim’s body was later discovered after the defendant wrote a note to his daughter that led to a police investigation.

Assistant District Attorney Jack Warsawsky, Deputy Bureau Chief, of the District Attorney’s Homicide Trials Bureau prosecuted the case under the supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Charles A. Testagrossa and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Daniel A. Saunders.