A Bronx man was charged with murder for the deadly stabbing of a 65-year-old Jackson Heights divorce lawyer, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Nando Perez, 64, was arraigned Monday night before Queens Criminal Court Judge Jeffrey Gershuny on a complaint charging him with murder in the second degree.
According to the charges, around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 4, Perez entered the law office of the victim on 82nd Street near 37th Avenue. Perez, who had been a client of Charles Zolot, allegedly attacked him in his second-floor conference room.
Perez is accused of stabbing Zolot all over his body, according to the charges. The Briarwood resident sustained at least 20 stab wounds to his torso and face in the attack. Perez then fled the scene. Police discovered the victim’s body around 5:50 the following morning, and responding EMS units pronounced him dead at the scene.
Sources familiar with the investigation said that Zolot and Perez had been previously involved in a dispute for reasons not disclosed.
Perez was arrested Monday after an investigation by detectives from the 115th Precinct and Queens North.
“This is a brutal crime that has stunned our community,” Katz said. “The defendant is accused of confronting the victim in his law office, stabbing him repeatedly and then leaving him to die.”
Judge Gershuny ordered Perez held without bail and ordered him to return to court on Aug. 13. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
