A Far Rockaway man is criminally charged with murder for brutally beating an acquaintance to death inside his McBride Street apartment, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Friday.
Gyasi Denis, 35, on Mott Avenue, was indicted on charges of murder in the second degree and other crimes in the fatal beating of a 64-year-old Calvin Alexander inside his third-floor apartment at 11-24 McBride St. following an argument over drugs and money. Some time after leaving the blood-stained apartment, Denis is accused of returning to steal his victim’s bank card.
According to the charges, between Jan. 30 and Feb. 2, Denis was at Alexander’s apartment, when, according to the defendant’s own admission, he repeatedly struck the victim in the head and body with a wooden object and then choked and bit him on the face. Sometime between 12:01 a.m. and 12:40 a.m. on Feb. 3, Denis told investigators that he returned to Alexander’s apartment and stole a bank debit card bearing the victim’s name.
At around 12:54 a.m. the same morning, Alexander’s roommate found him seated, propped up against a wall in his bedroom where blood was found on the walls, doors, a closet and his bed, according to the NYPD.
“As violent and brutal as this murder was, the defendant returned to the bloody crime scene to steal a bank card,” Katz said. “The cold-blooded callousness of that act is perhaps the most chilling element. Remorseful or not, the defendant will be held accountable.”
Denis faces up to 25 years to life if convicted. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Queens Supreme Court on Feb. 29, according to the DA’s office.
