By Christina Santucci
A 28-year-old father was arraigned on charges of killing his wife and two young daughters a day after the mother and children were remembered as princesses during an emotional funeral in South Jamaica, authorities said.
Miguel Mejia-Ramos was arrested in Texas last week and flown back to New York to face charges of butchering Deisy Garcia, 21, and their daughters, Daniela, 2, and Jocelyn, 1, inside the Sutphin Boulevard apartment they shared with extended family, according to the Queens district attorney’s office.
Mejia-Ramos allegedly admitted to kissing the toddlers and asking for their forgiveness before killing them, the DA said.
When investigators asked why he had not taken his children with him, Mejia-Ramos allegedly replied that he did not have car seats, the New York Post reported.
Their bodies were discovered Jan. 19 by a 12-year-old cousin and other relatives, who gathered with hundreds of other mourners at the Iglesia Naciones Unidas en Cristo Jan. 22 to pay their respects to the mother and daughters before they were transported to Garcia’s homeland of Guatemala to be buried.
Three white coffins were lined up at the front of the storefront church, where Garcia and the girls attended services, and a photo of the trio was projected above the alter with the words “In memory of our sister Deisy Garcia and her princesses Daniela and Jocelyn” in Spanish.
Each child and their mother wore a rhinestone tiara as they lay in their caskets.
Garcia was part of the church’s dance group, the Rosas de Saron, and fellow dancers carried candles and placed a pandero, a kind of tambourine that she used while dancing, in her casket.
The women, wearing white shirts and skirts with colorful sashes, performed at the beginning of the service for mourners.
“That was their way of saying goodbye,” said Robinson Flores, the church’s pastor.
Other attendees left bouquets of flowers, while one man and a child placed two small dolls inside the toddlers’ tiny coffins.
Many placed folded $20 bills inside a box to help pay the funeral arrangements. Flores said the funeral was held, in part, to provide spiritual comfort to heartbroken relatives and friends, but also to reach out to victims of domestic violence, who may be fearful about coming forward. Law enforcement and representatives of groups that work with domestic violence victims spoke to attendees, encouraging those in abusive relationships to seek assistance.
“[Victims] don’t have to be afraid even if they don’t have the right paperwork,” Flores said.
Garcia, who was born in Guatemala, was studying at York College.
Her mother, Luz Mina, told the crowd to report men who are violent to their partners.
“Say no to domestic violence,” she said in Spanish.
Mina broke down in tears as she recounted how a loved one comforted her by praising her strength.
Flores said the family’s faith would also help to bolster them.
“For Deisy, she changed direction in her trip,” he said. “She went back to heaven.”
Mejia-Ramos, who was born in Mexico, was charged with six counts of first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon, the DA said.
He was ordered to return to court Feb. 14. If found guilty, he faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Reach managing editor Christina Santucci by e-mail at timesledgerphotos@gmail.com by phone at 718-260-4589.
