New details have emerged in the murder of a patient at a mental health facility on the grounds of the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens Village on the morning of Monday, Jan. 19.
The victim’s roommate, 23-year-old David Zheng, was arrested and charged with murder and other related crimes after Ronald Giacopelli, 63, was found lying face down in a pool of blood with stab wounds to the back of the neck and lower back, at around 10:36 a.m.
Police from the 105th Precinct in Queens Village responded to a 911 call of a man in need of medical assistance at the facility and recovered a kitchen knife near the victim’s lifeless body.
EMS pronounced Giacopelli dead at the scene and Zheng was taken into custody as a person of interest at the 105th Precinct and questioned by detectives. He initially told investigators that he woke up and saw Giacopelli on the floor of his room and did not remember anything. But his story changed and he was booked for the homicide later that night.
Zheng was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on Thursday on a complaint charging him with murder in the second degree, tampering with physical evidence, and criminal possession of a weapon. The cause of death, however, was strangulation.
According to the criminal complaint, Zheng admitted to detectives he strangled Giacopelli to death. A spokeswoman from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed that his death was caused by strangulation, but she could not confirm that the stab wounds were inflicted post-mortem. An NYPD spokeswoman also could not confirm that the stab wounds were inflicted after Giacopelli had already died.
Zheng allegedly strangled Giacopelli to death at Hazel House, a 52-bed licensed residential program operated by Transitional Services of New York, at 80-45 Winchester Blvd. within the 125-acre Creedmoor Psychiatric Center campus in Queens Village.
Queens Criminal Court Judge Michael Gaffey remanded Zheng into custody without bail at his arraignment on Thursday.
