A Jamaica man was indicted by a Queens grand jury on murder and other charges for beating a 39-year-old neighbor to death with a chair last month.
Rahmel Tedder, 30, of 175th St., was arraigned Tuesday in Queens Supreme Court on a five-count indictment charging him with murder, assault and other related crimes.
According to the indictment and charges, video surveillance footage allegedly shows Tedder on July 26, at around 4:15 a.m., approaching his neighbor Michael Tobon in front of 90-25 175th St. The two began to argue and the verbal dispute escalated into violence when Tedder allegedly picked up a chair and struck Tobon on the head several times while he lay prone on the ground.
Tedder covered the victim’s body with a cloth and ran from the scene. He then proceeded to put the chair used in the deadly attack among garbage bags some distance away on 175th Street. He eventually returned to the crime scene before police from the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica arrived at the location.
Officers found Tobon unconscious and severely injured on the sidewalk. EMS rushed him to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he underwent emergency surgery for traumatic brain injury and a fractured skull. He did not regain brain function and died as a result of his injuries the following day.
Tedder was arrested shortly after the beating at the intersection of 175th Street and 90th Avenue. According to the criminal complaint, 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.
“The defendant allegedly attacked the victim while he lay defenseless on the ground and repeatedly hit the man in the head with a chair,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “Michael Tobon suffered a traumatic brain injury and died the following day from injuries he sustained. Our thoughts are with the Tobon family as we prosecute this case.”
Tedder was arraigned before Queens Supreme Court Justice Peter Vallone, who ordered him to return to court on Sept. 17. If convicted, Tedder faces a maximum potential sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
