A man has been charged with murder and is facing additional charges for allegedly stabbing three people, leaving one dead, in Elmhurst, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Mark Albano, a 34-year-old Elmhurst resident, was arrested on Saturday, May 8. Albano allegedly killed a homeless man after stabbing him at the Grand Avenue-Newtown subway station in April, and stabbed two men in separate attacks within hours of each other in May, according to Katz.
In the first attack on April 23, Albano allegedly approached 57-year-old Leroy Williams on the Grand Avenue-Newton subway station around 3:30 a.m. and stabbed him once in the chest, according to Katz. Williams later died as a result of the injury.
On May 7, at about 8 p.m., Albano allegedly approached a man from behind and stabbed him multiple times in the upper back, according to Katz. The 31-year-old victim collapsed tot he ground in pain but was able to see Albano running past him, carrying a bag, according to the district attorney.
The 31-year-old man was rushed to a nearby hospital and sustained partial paralysis as a result of the stabbing, according to Katz.
Then, on May 8 at about 5 a.m., Albano allegedly confronted and stabbed a 40-year-old man while inside of a basement of a building on Van Loon Street, according to the district attorney. The man had wounds in his arm and armpit, and was lying on a pool of blood when police arrived to the scene, according to Katz.
The 40-year-old man was also taken to a nearby hospital where he received stitches and staples to treat the wounds.
Police then arrested Albano that day, several blocks away from the scene at Van Loon Street. They say Albano was allegedly carrying a bag with a knife inside.
Albano, who lives on 82nd Street in Elmhurst, was arraigned on three separate criminal complaints on Sunday, May 9, before Queens Criminal Judge Toko Serita.
He was charged with murder in the second degree, tampering with physical evidence and criminal possession of a weapon for the April 23rd attack; attempted assault in the first degree, assault in the first degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree for the May 7 attack; and attempted assault in the first degree, assault in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree for the May 8th attack.
Albano faces up to 25 years to life in prison for the stabbing that left Williams dead, up to 25 years for the May 7th stabbing and up to 15 years in prison for the May 8th stabbing.
Katz said the “brutal, unprovoked” killing of Williams in the subway station stokes “dread throughout the entire city.”
“The successful re-opening of our borough and our city depends on New Yorkers being safe and feeling safe, on our streets and in our subways. This defendant’s alleged, senseless attacks resulted in one man being killed and another partially paralyzed,” Katz said. “My Office is committed to holding accountable those who would hold the city hostage to fear with acts of violence.”
