Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Kevin Ogara was indicted by a grand jury on charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide for allegedly pushing his 60-year-old neighbor down a stairwell in their Astoria apartment building causing fatal injuries.

District Attorney Katz said: “We will argue that the victim was walking away from the defendant when he was ruthlessly shoved down a flight of stairs to his death. Attacked from behind, the victim was unable to defend himself. We will be standing up for him in court and seeking justice on his behalf.”

Ogara, 58, of 44^th Street in Astoria, was charged with manslaughter in the first and second degrees, and criminally negligent homicide. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Justice Edwin Novillo ordered him to return to court on March 5, 2024.

According to the charges and video surveillance footage:

• On November 3, at approximately 6:51 p.m., 60-year-old Rene Montalvo Peredo, who appeared to be highly intoxicated, approached Ogara’s fourth-floor apartment, which was directly above his own, and entered through the unlocked door.
• Montalvo Peredo immediately left the apartment followed by Ogara, who pushed him. The men engaged in a discussion. Montalvo Peredo turned his back to Ogara, lifted up his hands, and walked toward the staircase.
• Ogara followed Montalvo Peredo to the top of the stairs and pushed him.
• First responders found Montalvo Peredo unresponsive on the stairwell landing. He was taken to a local hospital with a skull fracture, cerebral edema and a hypoxic brain injury. He died three days later, on November 6.

Assistant District Attorney Katherine McCabe of the District Attorney’s Career Criminal Major Crimes Bureau is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Assistant District Attorneys Antonio Vittiglio and Kenneth Koo under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michael Whitney, Bureau Chief, and Assistant District Attorney John Kosinski, Homicide Bureau Chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Shawn Clark.