Man sentenced for 2001 beating death of gay man

A former Queens resident who fled to England following the savage beating death of a 35-year-old gay Jackson Heights man in 2001 has been sentenced for the murder. The victim lay in a coma for approximately three weeks before succumbing to his injuries.
“[The] sentencing will hopefully bring some comfort to the relatives and friends of a completely innocent victim who was brutally beaten to death for no apparent reason,” said District Attorney Richard A. Brown. “The defendant deserves to be punished for this senseless and sickening crime.”
The defendant, John Love McGhee, 40, formerly of 27-10 Macintosh Street in Jackson Heights, was sentenced to 22 years to life in prison by Acting Supreme Court Justice Barry Kron. The defendant was convicted of second-degree murder last month following an eight-day jury trial.
According to trial testimony, the defendant hit Edgar Garzon, 35, of Jackson Heights, on August 15, 2001, at approximately 4 a.m., fracturing his skull and then attempted to rob him.
Garzon, a native of Colombia and who worked as a theater set designer, lapsed into a coma and died on September 4, 2001, at Elmhurst Hospital Center as a result of the injuries he suffered in the attack.
The incident occurred at 35-50 77th Street after the victim left the Friends Tavern, a gay bar on Roosevelt Avenue.
McGhee was arrested at John F. Kennedy Airport in June 2006 following a flight from London. McGhee was reportedly told to leave England for lying on his citizenship application.