What to Know
- A 35-year-old Queens man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing a man with paint cans and a weed whacker and badly hurting his mom
- Prosecutors gave no motive for the August 2016 attack that killed Kenneth Schemitz and horribly wounded his mother in Richmond Hill
- The defendant, Sahquane Jones, was convicted of murder and other charges by a jury last month; cops are still looking for a second suspect
A 35-year-old Queens man has been sentenced to up to life in prison for the beating death of another man, whom he killed with paint cans, weed whacker, a lamp and other household items in his own home, authorities say.
Sahquane Jones, of Far Rockaway, was convicted by a jury last month of murder, assault and other charges in the killing of Kenneth Schemitz and the vicious beating of Schemitz's mother on Aug. 14, 2016.
Prosecutors say Jones walked into their 113th Street home and, with the help of a suspect still being sought, pummeled and stabbed Schemitz with two cans of paint, a weed whacker, a lamp and knives. They also attacked Schemitz's then-68-year-old mother, Vivian, leaving white paint all over their victims and home after the cans they used to attack burst open.
Jones and the other man were seen on surveillance cameras fleeing the home after the attack; both were covered in white paint. Schemitz's mother managed to call 911; responding officers found her son's body lifeless. She has facial fractures and a concussion and was hospitalized for five weeks. Prosecutors didn't detail a possible motive.
"The sentence of the Court is more than justified as punishment for the heinous actions of this defendant, who entered the victims’ home and used whatever objects he could
grab to senselessly kill the male victim and seriously injure the man’s mother," Acting Queens District Attorney John Ryan said in a statement. "Our hope is that the family receives a measure of solace knowing that this individual will never walk the streets of Queens County again."
