Press Releases
DA KATZ CHARGES CORONA MAN WITH MURDER IN ATTACK ON 22-YEAR-OLD
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Michael Santander has been charged with murder, gang assault and other crimes in the beating death of a 22-year-old man in Corona following a dispute. District Attorney Katz said: “The life of a young father was cut short in a shockingly brutal attack. As alleged, the defendant kicked…
MOTORIST CHARGED IN DEADLY COLLISION WITH MOTORCYCLIST
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Jairo Ortiz has been charged with vehicular manslaughter, driving while under the influence and other crimes for allegedly hitting an unidentified motorcyclist while driving an unregistered, uninsured vehicle in Elmhurst on Saturday morning. District Attorney Katz said: “As alleged, the defendant was driving a car while under…
QUEENS DA’S OFFICE SECURES GUILTY PLEA FOR TWO TRAFFICKERS; DEFENDANTS FORCED TEENAGE GIRLS INTO SEX INDUSTRY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Lawrence Winslow and Alan Velvett each pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a child and rape for forcing three underage victims into the sex industry in February 2021. One of the victims was also coerced into having intercourse with both defendants. District Attorney Katz said: “I created the…
DEFENDANT SENTENCED FOR THREATENING TO SHOOT MOTORIST OVER PARKING SPOT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Jaquan Adams was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for criminal possession of a weapon. Adams used a gun to threaten a motorist to surrender an open street parking spot in Bayside that he wanted for himself. District Attorney Katz said: “An argument over nothing more than…
QUEENS FATHER CHARGED WITH MURDER IN DEATH OF 3-YEAR-OLD SON
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Shaquan Butler was arraigned yesterday on murder charges in the death of his 3-year-old son. District Attorney Katz said: “A defenseless young child’s life was brutally snatched from him before it even began in most ways; a case that is equal parts heartbreaking and disturbing. As alleged, the…
DA KATZ AND NYPD TAKE 32 GUNS OFF THE STREETS AT BUYBACK EVENT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and the New York Police Department announced that 32 guns were collected today at the Church of God Christian Academy in Far Rockaway, Queens. The gun buyback events seek to curb gun violence and the destruction it causes by accepting working unloaded firearms – with no questions asked – in…
AFTER EXHAUSTIVE INVESTIGATIONS, DA KATZ CONSENTS TO VACATING WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS
Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz today filed motions with defense attorneys to vacate two wrongful convictions. In both cases, new evidence came to light: In Capers, the physical evidence indicated one gun was fired and eyewitness testimony singles out Kevin McClinton as the lone shooter. McClinton, who is solely culpable for the crime, is…
QUEENS MAN SENTENCED TO 40 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR FATAL RAMPAGE OVER PARKING SPOT IN 2017
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Adrian Harry, 28, has been sentenced yesterday to 40 years to life in prison for stabbing two people after an argument over a parking spot outside of an Ozone Park lounge in December 2017. Immediately following the altercation, the defendant got into his vehicle and intentionally drove into…
NETWORK OF DRUG DEALERS DISMANTLED FOLLOWING LONG-TERM INVESTIGATION
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, joined by New York City Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell, announced that three individuals have been arrested and charged for allegedly operating as a network of dealers who supplied a variety of drugs to buyers in Far Rockaway, Queens, and other boroughs over the last year. An additional crew member…
BUS HIJACKER INDICTED ON KIDNAPPING AND OTHER CHARGES
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Dwayne Gaddy was indicted and arraigned today on charges of kidnapping, robbery and other crimes for the hijacking of a crowded MTA bus in Cambria Heights last month using what appeared to be a handgun. The approximately 30 passengers on board the bus were able to escape. The…
DEFENDANT SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR KILLING FOREST HILLS WOMAN WHOSE BODY WAS DISCOVERED IN DUFFEL BAG
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that David Bonola was sentenced today to 25 years in prison following a guilty plea to manslaughter for the brutal slaying of Orsolya Gaal, whose body was discovered in a sports duffel bag near Forest Park in April. District Attorney Katz said: “This was a brutal killing, and no…
DEFENDANT CONVICTED OF MURDER FOR FATAL STABBING FOLLOWING BABY CHRISTENING PARTY
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the conviction of Antonio Martinez for stabbing to death a fellow guest at a 2019 celebration of a baby’s christening in Corona. Martinez argued with the victim before repeatedly stabbing him in the chest. District Attorney Katz said: “From celebrating a life, to mourning a death, this violent attack…
CO-DEFENDANTS PLEAD GUILTY IN SHOOTING DEATHS
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Richard Davenport and Neville Brown each pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter for the shooting deaths of two men in South Richmond Hill in late 2017 and early 2018. The judge in the case said he would sentence Davenport to 29 years in prison and Brown to…
DA KATZ SECURES MANSLAUGHTER INDICTMENT IN SUBWAY SYSTEM DEATH
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Carlos Garcia was indicted by a grand jury and arraigned today in Supreme Court on manslaughter and other charges for the death of a fellow commuter last month at the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue subway station as a result of a physical altercation. District Attorney Katz said: “Our subway…
ALLEGED DRUG DEALER INDICTED ON NARCOTICS, WEAPONS CHARGES
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Alejandro Rodriguez was indicted by a grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on charges of criminal sale of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a weapon and other crimes. Rodriguez is accused of supplying a large quantity of narcotics to an undercover officer over the course of…
EMT INDICTED FOR ALLEGEDLY STEALING BANK CARD FROM PATIENT’S WALLET FOR LIQUOR AND FOOD
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that FDNY emergency medical service responder Robert Marshall was indicted by a grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court for allegedly taking a debit card from the purse of a 79-year-old Springfield Gardens woman when he was working as an EMT on an August 8th ambulance call. The…
QUEENS MAN SENTENCED TO 20 YEARS IN PRISON FOR KILLING WWI VET
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Martin Motta was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the 1976 killing of an 81-year-old World War I Veteran. The Queens District Attorney’s Office Cold Case Unit solved the 46-year-old homicide case with the NYPD using forensic genetic genealogy for the first time in New York…
DEFENDANT CHARGED WITH POSSESSING AND PROMOTING CHILD SEX ABUSE MATERIAL
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, joined by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, announced today that Andre Hyman has been charged with promoting a sexual performance by a child and other crimes for allegedly purchasing, downloading, and possessing child sex abuse materials on his computer inside his Jamaica residence between May 2021 and November 2022. District…
BROOKLYN RESIDENT PLEADS GUILTY IN DEADLY BELT PARKWAY CRASH
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz today announced that Jason Bical pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular manslaughter. The defendant was driving 92 mph on the Belt Parkway when he struck and killed a 63-year-old motorist stopped for a minor collision. Bical was under the influence of cocaine, marijuana and alcohol at the time of the December…
FAR ROCKAWAY RESIDENT CONVICTED OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER IN SHOOTING DEATH OF A MAN FOLLOWING A STREET FIGHT
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Joaquin Bullock has been convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping and other crimes in the death of a fellow Far Rockaway resident. The defendant argued with the victim before fatally shooting him in the chest in 2018. District Attorney Katz said, “Gun violence has taken too many lives in…
