What to Know
- A man pleaded guilty to murder in connection to the brutal attack of a 92-year-old woman walking near her Queens home on a cold January night in 2020, the local district attorney said.
- Reeaz Khan, 24, pleaded guilty Tuesday to murder in the second degree and attempted rape in the first degree. He faces 22 years to life on the murder charge and eight years in prison on the attempted rape charge when he is sentenced July 6.
- On Jan. 6, 2020, Khan was seen on surveillance video approaching 92-year-old María Fuertes from behind as she walks on 127th Avenue around midnight, according to the charges. The video showcases both falling to the ground. They landed behind a parked car, where they remained out of view of cameras for 4 to 5 minutes, NBC 4 New York previously reported. After that, the suspect emerged alone According to the charges, around 5 minutes later, Khan is seen on the footage with his pants undone and running off.
A man pleaded guilty to murder in connection to the "heinous attack" of a 92-year-old woman walking near her Queens home on a cold January night in 2020, the local district attorney said.
Reeaz Khan, 24, pleaded guilty Tuesday to murder in the second degree and attempted rape in the first degree. He faces 22 years to life on the murder charge and eight years in prison on the attempted rape charge when he is sentenced July 6.
On Jan. 6, 2020, Khan was seen on surveillance video approaching 92-year-old María Fuertes from behind as she walks on 127th Avenue in the Richmond Hill neighborhood around midnight, according to the charges. The video showcases both falling to the ground.
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They landed behind a parked car, where they remained out of view of cameras for 4 to 5 minutes, NBC 4 New York previously reported. After that, the suspect emerged alone According to the charges, around 5 minutes later, Khan is seen on the footage with his pants undone and running off.
A couple of hours later, at around 2:14 a.m., Fuertes was found by a passerby who then proceeded to call 911, the district attorney's office said citing the charges.
Fuertes, who had her dress lifted to her chest, was barely conscious and incoherent when she was taken to a local hospital, where she later died, according to the charges.
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Doctors found that Fuertes had sustained spine and rib fractures, bruising to her neck and chest and other injuries. A subsequent autopsy determined that Fuertes died from blunt force trauma and hypothermia, according to the charges.
Fuertes' death rocked her close-knit community. Neighbors say she lived her whole life in the southwestern Queens neighborhood.
"If something like this can happen to an old lady like this, what else is gonna happen to any other female," neighbor Aneil Ram told NBC New York at the time of Fuertes' death.
Fuertes was known for her love of cats. Her doorstep was filled with cat food cans. Neighbors said she was known to go out late at night to buy cat food; some wondered if she had been doing that when she was killed.
"She lived for her cats. She lived for her family, and it’s a very sick thing, what happened to her," Ram said.
The entire community was just stunned. More than a few neighbors simply asked, "Why would someone harm her?"
