By Howard Koplowitz
Pakenauth Geer, 59, of 107-59 125th St., killed Jiraji Hanuman, also 59, back on Nov. 24, 2001 after repeatedly beating his victim over the head with a stick, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.”The penalty imposed by the court was more than warranted considering the violent and brutal nature of the crime.”It has been reported that the beating was so severe that Hanuman's casket had to be closed for her wake.After the incident, Geer called 911 and was taken to a local hospital for treatment after drinking a “caustic substance” in an apparent suicide attempt, which resulted in the insertion of a feeding tube at the hospital, according to the DA's office. Hanuman's body was found after Geer wrote a letter to his daughter, prompting a police investigation. The content of the letter indicated Geer had been involved in Hanuman's death, the DA said.Geer said he and Hanuman started fighting after she called him to fix a light in her basement apartment. He then said she attacked him with a knife, but an official with the DA's office said no evidence was found to support his claim.The process between Geer's arrest and sentencing was relatively slow because he was originally found “not fit to proceed” by a court-appointed psychiatric exam at the request of his attorney, Todd Greenberg, following his arrest back in 2001. After more than a year, another psychiatric evaluation found him fit to proceed.Geer pleaded guilty on Feb. 28, 2005 before Queens Supreme Court Justice Robert J. Hanophy, who imposed the 17-year sentence. Greenberg said Geer had prior psychiatric issues and argued that he was under an “extreme emotional disturbance,” a mitigating factor that Greenberg said reduced Geer's sentence.
