MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2005

D.A. BROWN: BROOKLYN TEENAGER CHARGED IN SUBWAY BEATING DEATH OF FRIEND ON “7” TRAIN TRACKS IN WOODSIDE
Faces Up To Life In Prison

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today that a Brooklyn teenager has been charged with murder in the beating and subway death of his 22-year-old friend on the “7” train tracks at the 51st Street and Roosevelt Avenue station in Woodside, Queens.

District Attorney Brown said, “According to the charges, the defendant engaged in a dispute with one of his friends at a Woodside, Queens, subway station after coming from a restaurant yesterday morning and beat him with his fists, knocking him to the ground and kicking and rolling him onto the “7” train tracks where he was struck and killed by an oncoming train. The crime is another example of mindless violence that all too often takes innocent lives and recklessly endangers public safety.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Richie Molina, 19, of 163 Humboldt Street in Brooklyn, unemployed. The defendant has been charged with two counts of Murder in the Second Degree and faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

District Attorney Brown said that, according to the charges, at approximately 4:55 a.m. on November 27, 2005 , the defendant caused the death of his friend, Edison Guzman, 22, during a dispute on the 51st Street and Roosevelt Avenue elevated subway platform by physically assaulting him and knocking him to the ground before pushing and rolling him with his leg onto the subway tracks as a “7” train was entering the station. The victim was struck and killed by the train.

District Attorney Brown said that the defendant was arrested yesterday by detectives of the New York City Police Department’s 108 Precinct and is being held pending arraignment later today in Queens Criminal Court in Kew Gardens.

The investigation was conducted by Detective Marcelo Oliva of the New York City’s Police Department’s 108 Detective Squad under the supervision of Lieutenant Salvatore Salerno, Commanding Officer.

Assistant District Attorney Travis W. Hunter of the District Attorney’s Homicide Investigations Bureau is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Peter T. Reese, Bureau Chief, Peter J. McCormack III, Deputy Bureau Chief, and Richard B. Schaeffer, Senior Trial Attorney, 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 a criminal complaint is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.