Friday, June 10, 2005

D.A. BROWN: TWO QUEENS RESIDENTS ARRAIGNED ON MURDER CHARGES IN STRANGULATION AND BEATING DEATH OF RELATIVE; FACE LIFE IN PRISON

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today that two Elmhurst men have been arraigned on second degree murder charges in the strangulation and beating death on June 8th of a male relative who was allegedly slain at their residence and his lifeless body dumped on a nearby street.

District Attorney Brown said, “According to the charges, the defendants fatally beat and strangled the victim, dumped his body on a street and discarded their bloody clothes, a scarf, a metal pipe and the victim’s personal property in an Elmont dumpster. The charges are based on a police investigation and admissions allegedly made by both defendants.”

The District Attorney identified the defendants as Farhan Ahmed 22, and Muhammed Hanif, 41, both of 83-09 Dongan Avenue, Elmhurst, Queens, who have been charged with Murder in the Second Degree, Tampering with Physical Evidence and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree. The defendants face up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

District Attorney Brown said the defendants were arraigned shortly after midnight last night in Queens Criminal Court before Judge Steven W. Paynter who remanded them without bail and set a June 23, 2005 return date.

District Attorney Brown said that a criminal complaint charges that the defendants on Wednesday, June 8, 2005 between 10:30 and 11:00 p.m. at 83-09 Dongan Avenue in Elmhurst caused the death of Arshad Mahood, 42, by choking him with a scarf and their arms and striking him in the head and body with a metal pipe. The complaint further charges that the defendants dumped the victim’s body in front of 86-24 54th Avenue in Elmhurst. The complaint additionally charges that the defendants thereafter discarded the metal pipe, their bloody clothes, the scarf and personal property of the victim in a dumpster at 244 Linden Boulevard in Elmont.

The investigation was conducted by Detective Michael E. Hiddessen of the New York City Police Department’s 110th Precinct Detective Squad under the supervision of Lieutenant Stephen Jaworski.

Assistant District Attorney Vance Kuhner of the District Attorney’s Homicide Investigations Bureau is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Peter T. Reese, Bureau Chief, and Peter J. McCormack III, Deputy Bureau Chief, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Charles A. Testagrossa and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Daniel A Saunders.

It should be noted that criminal charges are merely an accusation and that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.