Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Giuseppe Canzani, 41, has been charged with murder and other charges in the shooting death of a 51-year-old woman killed in broad daylight. The victim was standing in her doorway when she was gunned down Wednesday afternoon.

District Attorney Katz said, “As alleged, this defendant clearly has no regard of human life and in broad daylight shot the victim as she stood in the entrance to her home. This is yet another reminder how senseless gun violence is causing heart-wrenching loss in our communities. The defendant is now facing very serious charges.”

Canzani, of 88^th Street in Howard Beach, Queens, was arraigned late last night before Queens Criminal Court Judge Denise Johnson on a complaint charging him with murder in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. Judge Johnson ordered the defendant to return to Court on May 26, 2022. If convicted, Canzani faces up to 25 years-to-life in prison.

According to the charges, at approximately 2:26 p.m. on May 4, 2022, emergency medical technicians responded to 94-59 109^th Avenue in Ozone Park, Queens, and observed the victim, Anna Torres, 51, lying face up in a pool of blood just beyond the entrance to her home. Ms. Torres was shot in the neck and succumbed to the injury.

Furthermore, DA Katz said, recovered video surveillance allegedly shows the defendant wearing a blue sweatshirt, dark sweatpants with red stripes down the side and black and white New Balance sneakers walking away from the location and enter a black Chevrolet Traverse. The vehicle was parked approximately two houses away from the scene. Canzani then allegedly drove to the 106^th Precinct, exited the Chevrolet with a silver 45mm handgun and turned himself in to police.

The investigation was conducted by Detective Nicholas Capolo of the 106^th Precinct Detective Squad and Detective Michael Gaine of the Queens South Homicide Squad.

Assistant District Attorney Kenneth Zawistowski, of the DA’s Homicide Bureau, is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Assistant District Attorney Christine Occhiogrosso, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Peter J. McCormack III and John Kosinski, Senior Deputy Bureau Chiefs, and Karen Ross, Deputy Bureau Chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Daniel A. Saunders.