A Jamaica man was beaten to death by a neighbor after a verbal dispute escalated into violence.
Michael Tobon, 39, of 179th Street, was bludgeoned to death after being struck multiple times in his body and head with a chair during a dispute on Friday, July 26, police said.
Tobon was three blocks from his home when he became embroiled in an argument with Rahmel Tedder, 30, of 175th Street, who has since been charged.
Police from the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica responded to a 911 call of an assault in progress at 90-75 175th St. at 4:18 a.m., where they found Tobon with a laceration to his head. EMS rushed him to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition. He died the following day.
Tedder was taken into custody shortly after the attack and booked at the 103rd Precinct on attempted murder, assault and other related crimes after he admitted that he struck Tobon with a chair multiple times, according to the criminal complaint.
Tedder was arraigned on Saturday in Queens Criminal Court on the complaint charging him with attempted murder in the second-degree and first-degree assault. Tedder told detectives he had beaten the victim with the chair, leading to a criminal possession of a weapon charge. He also told cops that he concealed the chair from police among garbage bags on the sidewalk, leading to a charge of tampering with physical evidence.
A doctor at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center told detectives that the victim “sustained a traumatic brain injury, a skull fracture,” according to the criminal complaint.
Tobon succumbed to his injuries on Saturday, July 27, and the brutal attack has since been ruled a homicide, according to the NYPD. A law enforcement source expects the charges to be upgraded before Tedder is scheduled for his next court date on Aug. 27.
