He’s Booked For First-Degree Murder
The Jamaica father who allegedly killed his wife and their two young daughters earlier this month was arraigned on firstdegree murder charges last Friday, Jan. 24, prosecutors announced.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown identified the defendant as Miguel Mejia-Ramos, 29, of Sutphin Boulevard, who was arrested last Monday, Jan. 20, in Texas, where he allegedly fled after the triplehomicide.
During questioning, law enforcement sources said, Meija- Ramos allegedly admitted to repeatedly stabbing his wife-Deisy Garcia, 21-and then turning the knife on their children-Daniela Mejia, 2, and Yoselin Mejia, 1-sometime between Jan. 18 and Jan. 19.
Reportedly, he claimed to have acted in a fit of rage after seeing a cell phone picture of his wife with another man.
After being held at the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Mejia- Ramos was extradited back to New York and appeared in Queens Criminal Court last Friday for an arraignment hearing on a complaint charging him with six counts of firstdegree murder, three counts of second-degree murder and five counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Queens Criminal Court Judge Ernest F. Hart, who presided over the arraignment, ordered Mejia-Ramos held without bail and to return to court on Feb. 14. If convicted, the suspect faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“Mejia-Ramos is accused of a particularly horrific and brutal crime,” Brown said in a statement last Wednesday, Jan. 22, following the announcement of the suspect’s arrest. “I was at the crime scene Sunday night and as I said at that time ‘I’ve seen a lot in my 23 years as district attorney but there is nothing that disturbs me more than seeing young children-in this case mere babies-as homicide victims.'”
Last Friday, Brown met with the victims’ close friends as well as the consul general of Guatemala, Garcia’s native land.
“I assured them that this case will be vigorously prosecuted and there will be no plea bargaining,” the district attorney added.
According to the charges, sometime between Jan. 18, 2014 and January 19, 2014, the defendant stabbed his wife, Garcia, multiple times about her torso, head and upper extremities with multiple knives thereby causing her death.
Thereafter, it is alleged, he stabbed his daughter Daniela Mejia, 2, multiple times about her upper torso and chest, back, left arm and right hand with a knife thereby causing her death. Finally, it is alleged, Mejia-Ramos stabbed his daughter Yoselin Mejia, 1, multiple times about her chest and upper torso with a knife thereby causing her death.
It is alleged further that Crime Scene Unit detectives recovered four knives with what appeared to be blood on them in the front and rear of the bedroom in the vicinity of the three victims. Additionally, a bent knife blade and a knife handle with what appeared to be blood on it were allegedly recovered in the vicinity of the deceased body of Garcia.
According to District Attorney Brown, Mejia-Ramos allegedly told investigators that, after drinking beer at a friend’s house, he returned home on Jan. 18 at about 11 p.m., went through his wife’s phone and Facebook account, saw a photo of her with another man, and he snapped.
He allegedly told investigators that he he grabbed a knife from a butcher block and stood over Garcia and his daughters. Seconds later, he claimed, his wife woke up and screamed.
Mejia-Ramos then allegedly stabbed her; she got out of bed and ran to the front of the room when he grabbed another knife and stabbed her again. He reportedly twisted it in her side and it broke.
It is alleged that he then went back to the girls and picked up Daniela Mejia, who was awake. He allegedly claimed he gave her a hug and a kiss, asked for forgiveness, put her back on the bed and stabbed her.
Mejia-Ramos then allegedly picked up Yoselin Mejia and did the same to her.
The investigation was conducted by the Queens Homicide Squad and 103rd Precinct Detective Squad.
Assistant District Attorney Michelle L. Kaszuba and Senior Assistant District Attorney Robert S. Ciesla of the District Attorney’s Homicide Investigations Bureau is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Peter T. Reese, bureau chief, Peter J. McCormack III, deputy bureau chief, and Richard B. Schaeffer, supervisor, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Charles A. Testagrossa and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Daniel A. Saunders.
It was noted that a criminal complaint is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
