Brooklyn resident Elisaul Perez on Jan. 10 was sentenced to 20 years in prison for attacking 61-year-old GuiYing Ma as she swept a sidewalk in Corona on the day before Thanksgiving in 2021, fatally striking her twice in the head with a large rock, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Perez, 33, of Blake Avenue in Brownsville, pleaded guilty last month to manslaughter in the first degree before Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Yavinsky.
According to the charges, during the morning of Nov. 26, 2021, the victim was seen sweeping the sidewalk and street area in front of her friend’s home on 38th Avenue near 97th Street in Corona. At around 8 a.m., Perez was captured on video surveillance as he picked up a large rock and struck Ma in the head. After she fell to the ground, he bashed her in the head a second time.
EMS responded to the crime scene and rushed the victim to Elmhurst Hospital Center in critical condition, where she had stayed for 10 weeks following the brutal assault. She underwent emergency surgery and was treated for a right skull fracture, facial fractures and internal bleeding from her brain, among other injuries. She never recovered, and after a three-month hospitalization, she died from complications from her injuries on Feb. 22.
“While today’s sentence cannot make up for this heartbreaking and senseless loss of their loved one, I hope that it provides some measure of solace to the family of Ms. Ma,” Katz said. “The long sentence will hold the defendant to account for an unprovoked attack that robbed the community of a beloved member.”
Justice Yavinsky imposed a sentence of 20 years in prison to be followed by five years’ post-release supervision.
