By Philip Newman
RICHMOND HILL — A Richmond Hill man faces 30 years to life in prison for the execution-style murder of a Queens man who was bound with electrical cords and repeatedly shot in the head before his apartment was set afire to cover up the crime, the Queens district attorney said.
A second defendant involved in the case was sentenced last week to 12 years and six months in prison on his guilty plea to felony robbery, according to the DA.
Queens District Attorney Richard Brown identified the defendants as Stephen Peters, 26, and Jason St. Hill, both of 95th Avenue in Richmond Hill. In January 2017 a jury found Peters guilty of murder, robbery, burglary, kidnaping, arson and tampering with physical evidence, he said.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Gregory Lasak sentenced Peters May 3 to 30 years in prison, while St. Hill pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and was sentenced to 12 years in prison, Brown said.
Brown said Peters and St. Hill went to the Richmond H ill home of Azeem Azi, 43, shortly after midnight Feb. 24, 2013. In the second floor apartment Peters stole Azi’s bank card and shot him three tines in the head before the intruders doused Ali with gasoline and set fire to the apartment. Responding firefighters reported the apartment was badly damaged as was Azi’s body.
