A grand jury indicted a homeless man for allegedly stabbing a 25-year-old man to death following a fight that began at a Jackson Heights food cart last summer, prosecutors announced on Monday.
John Daves, 33, was arraigned on Feb. 25 before Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder on an indictment charging him with second-degree murder and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Daves was at the intersection of Roosevelt Avenue and 80th Street in September waiting on an order at a food truck when he exchanged words with Miguel Angel Becerra-Perez, 25, of Long Island.
As the verbal argument intensified, video surveillance showed Daves chase Becerra-Perez down the street, catch him and stab him in the right arm and chest with a knife that Daves had grabbed at the food cart, according to the indictment.
Becerra-Perez died as a result of the injuries, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.
“A verbal dispute turned lethal after two men encountered one another at a food truck in Jackson Heights,” Brown said. “The defendant grabbed the knife from the food cart and literally chased down the victim and allegedly stabbed him to death. This was a senseless act of violence and the defendant now faces a very long term of incarceration.”
Justice Holder remanded Daves and ordered him to return to court May 21. If convicted, Daves faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
