Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Raymond Kenner, 22, and Alexander Stephens, 31, have been indicted by a Queens County grand jury and arraigned in Supreme Court on murder charges in the stabbing death of a man killed in Hollis, Queens, on December 21, 2021. Defendant Kenner has additionally been indicted for a second homicide in the stabbing death of a victim killed near Rufus King Park just two days later.

District Attorney Katz said, “The defendants are charged with acting in concert in the stabbing death of one of the victims. One of the defendants allegedly knifed another man to death just two days later. The defendants will be held to account for these senseless killings.”

Kenner, of West 31^st Street in Manhattan, and Stephens, of 109^th Road in St. Albans, Queens, were arraigned yesterday before Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder, on a 11-count indictment charging them with two counts of murder in the second degree, robbery in the first and second degree, tampering with physical evidence, criminal possession of stolen property the fifth degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.

Defendant Kenner was additionally charged in the same indictment with murder in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree in relation to the second homicide. Justice Holder ordered the defendants to return to Court on April 25, 2022. If convicted Kenner and Stephens each face up to 25 years-to-life in prison. Kenner faces an additional 25 years-to-life in prison on the second murder charge.

According to the charges, on Tuesday, December 21, 2021, shortly before 9 p.m., as Andrew Cunjie, walked down Jamaica Avenue, the defendants were allegedly observed on video surveillance following him from Francis Lewis Boulevard to Carpenter Avenue. At one point, the defendants confronted the 25-year-old victim and moments later Mr. Cunjie was on the ground bleeding from multiple stab wounds.

DA Katz said the victim was rushed to an area hospital where he was treated for puncture wounds to his back and chest but died from the injuries.

Continuing, said DA Katz, according to the charges, on December 23, 2021, defendant Kenner was allegedly captured on video surveillance around 11 p.m. on 89^th Avenue near Rufus King Park with 29-year-old Benjamin Vasquez. A short time later, Mr. Vasquez was later found with multiple stab wounds. He, too, died as a result of the knife attack.

According to the charges, when Kenner was apprehended by police, he was wearing the same clothes he was seen wearing on video footage as he allegedly followed the victim on December 21^st. There was also blood allegedly splattered on his clothing. Defendant Stephens was wearing the same boots from the video surveillance of December 21^st and those boots also allegedly had blood stains on them.

Additionally, the DA said, police recovered a folding knife allegedly from the pocket of defendant Kenner.

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