What to Know
- A 21-year-old Brooklyn man has been convicted of murder and other crimes in the January 2016 killing of a popular Manhattan chef
- Jahkeem Scott fled the city after the killing; he was caught four months later in Virginia and charged in the slaying of Romulo Heras, 61
- The Greenwich Village chef was stabbed 31 times as he slept, then his home was burglarized and set ablaze
A 21-year-old Brooklyn man has been convicted of murder, burglary and arson in the January 2016 stabbing death of a popular Manhattan chef whom he killed -- and whose home he then lit on fire to try to cover up the crime, officials say.
Jahkeem Scott, of Cypress Hills, was caught in Virginia after four months on the run following the killing of 61-year-old Romulo Heras, who was a nighttime chef at Greenwich Village's Cornelia Street Cafe.
Prosecutors say Scott sneaked into Heras' home through a first-floor window on Jan. 22, 2016 around 9 a.m.; the chef was still asleep. Scott, intent on burglarizing him, stabbed Heras 31 times in the body, neck and head, then grabbed a laundry bag full of Heras' belongings, set six separate fires in his home and fled, authorities have said. Firefighters who responded to the blaze found the chef's body.
Scott faces up to life in prison on the top charge at his sentencing, which is scheduled for next month.
“A beloved family man and popular chef was senselessly and brutally murdered in his home," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. "This verdict is a small measure of justice for Romulo Heras’s wife, children and grandchildren. This defendant has now been held accountable for this terrible crime."
