Feb. 17, 2016 By Christian Murray
A Boston man who murdered a Woodside resident inside the victim’s apartment was sentenced to 25 years to life yesterday, according to the Queens District Attorney’s office.
Raymond Epps, 59, strangled and robbed Wayne Graves, 62, whose body was found in the bathtub of his Berkeley Towers apartment in October 2011.
Graves fell victim to Epps after he allowed the Bostonian to stay with him in his 11th floor apartment, after meeting Epps at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
“The defendant repaid his benefactor’s generous act of kindness by strangling him in his own home and then stealing his credit cards,” said Queens District Attorney Richard A Brown in a statement. “His actions warrant the lengthy prison sentence.”
Epps, who was convicted January 2015, has been in custody since December 2011.
Gerard Torre, a friend of Graves, testified that he visited Graves’ apartment on October 16, 2011, and that Epps introduced himself and said that he needed a place to stay and was staying a few nights with the victim.
Torre repeatedly called Graves the next day, but there was no answer. Then on Oct. 19, 2011, Torre went to the apartment and when no one answered he had the building’s super open the door.
Graves’ body was discovered in the bathtub and his death was ruled as the result of strangulation.
Epps used Graves’ credit cards to buy a bus fare back to Boston. He then used the credit cards to buy merchandise from various stores, which he then used to trade for crack cocaine, according to the district attorney’s office.
