An Astoria man is being held without bail after he was criminally charged for stabbing his elderly neighbor to death in their apartment building at 25-75 33rd St. on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 3.
Dimitrios Manessis, 48, was arraigned March 4 in Queens Criminal Court on a criminal complaint charging him with murder in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree for the stabbing death of 75-year-old George Dourdounas. The defendant allegedly ambushed the victim outside the man’s first-floor apartment, which was next door to his own, and then stabbed him.
According to the charges, at approximately 1:20 p.m. on March 3, Manessis was standing outside of his apartment when the victim entered the building. Manessis allegedly punched Dourdounas, which caused the retiree to fall to the floor. As the victim lay on the floor. Manessis entered his own apartment, retrieved a sharp instrument, and repeatedly stabbed Dourdounas. Manessis then allegedly went back inside his home covered in blood.
A neighbor, who entered the apartment building during the attack, called 911. Police from the 114th Precinct in Astoria responded to the location and Dourdounas, a retired high school math teacher, lying lifeless in the lobby, with multiple stab wounds across his neck. EMS pronounced the victim dead at the scene. The officers took Manessis into custody a short while later. Sources familiar with the investigation report that the two men had an ongoing feud for several years. The defendant quarreled with the 75-year-old man leading up to the murder, according to the charges.
“This is a senseless act of violence that has rattled the Astoria community,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “The defendant is accused of stabbing an elderly neighbor to death over a perceived slight. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their own home and in their neighborhood and my office will aggressively prosecute this case as we seek justice for the family and friends of George Dourdounas.”
Queens Criminal Court Judge Indira Khan remanded Manessis into custody without bail. If convicted, the defendant faces up to 25 years to life in prison.”
