THREE CHARGED IN 2019 STABBING DEATH OF 17-YEAR-OLD IN SOUTH JAMAICA

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Tianna Benjamin, Charles Gillespie and Kyra Tyrell have been indicted by a grand jury and charged with murder, weapon possession and conspiracy in the November 2019 stabbing death of 17-year-old Talasia Cuffie. The victim attended a memorial basketball game being held in honor of Aamir Griffin, a…

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QUEENS MAN INDICTED AND IN CUSTODY FOR 2021 FATAL GUNPOINT ROBBERY IN ASTORIA

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Jordan Hannah, an FDNY EMT, was indicted by a grand jury and arraigned on first-degree murder and other charges for the fatal gunpoint robbery of 22-year-old Kyle Griffin in April 2021. Griffin was seated in his white Range Rover near the corner of 41st Street and 30th…

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TENANT CHARGED WITH MURDER OF BUILDING SUPERINTENDENT WHO WAS TRYING TO COLLECT UNPAID RENT

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Sandra Coto-Navarro has been charged with murder for allegedly killing her building’s superintendent, 55-year-old Jose Portillo, inside her apartment in Kew Gardens Hills. The victim reportedly entered the defendant’s apartment around 8:40 a.m. Tuesday to collect unpaid rent on behalf of the landlord. The super’s coworkers called the…

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ADVANCED DNA TESTING REVEALS IDENTITY OF VICTIM KILLED 33 YEARS AGO

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that a female homicide victim, whose identity remained unknown for more than three decades, has now been identified as Judy Rodriguez by using advanced DNA testing. Rodriguez’s unidentified body, bound at the ankles with a cord and covered with a large wooden board, was discovered on August 25, 1991,…

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QUEENS MAN SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR MURDER, SEX ASSAULT

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Quiming Wan was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the November 2021 murder and sexual abuse of Jiaomei Zhou, a 29-year-old woman whose body he carried from his apartment before being stopped by building residents. A jury convicted the defendant following an October trial. District…

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QUEENS MAN CONVICTED OF MURDER FOR KILLING 29-YEAR-OLD WOMAN IN HIS FLUSHING APARTMENT

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Quiming Wan has been convicted by a jury of murder, sexual abuse and related charges for the November 2021 death of 29-year-old Jiaomei Zhou, whose body he carried from his apartment to the building lobby before being interrupted by other residents. District Attorney Katz said: “This defendant brutally…

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REPUTED GANG MEMBER CHARGED WITH MURDER OF TEEN OUTSIDE FAST-FOOD RESTAURANT IN SPRINGFIELD GARDENS

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Rayvon Phillip, 18, has been charged with murder for allegedly firing multiple gunshots at a car, killing 18-year-old Akim Cisse, outside a fast-food restaurant on September 27 along South Conduit Avenue in Springfield Gardens. District Attorney Katz said, “My office is committed to the prosecution and conviction…

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QUEENS WOMAN CONVICTED OF MURDER IN STABBING DEATH OF IMMIGRATION LAWYER

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Xiaoning Zhang, 27, has been convicted of murder, criminal possession of a weapon and other charges for the killing of her immigration lawyer, Jim Li, who had dropped her as a client shortly before the incident. The victim was renowned for his legal work and was an…

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QUEENS MAN INDICTED ON MURDER CHARGE FOR BEATING 39-YEAR-OLD TO DEATH WITH CHAIR

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Rahmel Tedder was arraigned today on murder and other grand jury indictment charges for the July beating death of Michael Tobon, whom Tedder allegedly attacked with a chair while the victim was on the ground. District Attorney Katz said: “The defendant allegedly attacked the victim while he lay…

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