By Patrick Donachie
The ex-boyfriend of a woman who was found stabbed to death in her car in South Jamaica last weekend has been arrested and charged with her murder, the Queens district attorney’s office said.
Qwantrell J. Gilliam, 41, was charged with murder in the second degree, tampering with physical evidence and criminal possession of a weapon, according to the criminal complaint filed against him.
Dayo Corley, 43, was last seen alive near the corner of Farmers Boulevard and 137th Avenue, at about 1:45 a.m. Oct. 29. The criminal complaint said someone had reported her as missing earlier that evening.
Police found Corley at about 2:20 p.m. Oct. 31, in the front seat of a Chevrolet Equinox registered to her, near the corner of Lakeview Lane and 122nd Avenue. EMS workers pronounced her dead at the scene and the medical examiner later determined Corley had been stabbed in the throat and also found evidence she had been strangled, according to the criminal complaint.
A witness allegedly told police that Corley and Gilliam were in a relationship until about a year ago, when they broke up. Corley allegedly told the witness that Gilliam had been stalking her sporadically over the course of the past year, showing up at her home or work. The witness also said Corley’s tires were found slashed Oct. 27 and the witness saw Gilliam near the scene.
Gilliam allegedly spoke to police Oct. 31, saying he spoke briefly to Corley by phone at about 1 a.m. Oct. 29, but the call was dropped, the criminal complaint said. Police also found video surveillance allegedly showing Gilliam in the vicinity of where Corley’s body was found. At various points as he passed by cameras, Gilliam could allegedly be seen opening a bottle and pouring the contents of the bottle on his hands and holding what appears to be a shiny metal object in his hand, which the criminal complaint contended could have been a knife.
Corley was a mother of two, according to a GoFundMe page set up for her family to manage expenses in the aftermath of her death. She was also a parishioner at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Springfield Gardens, according to the church’s website. Her murder prompted expressions of grief and frustration from elected officials, including state Sen. James Sanders (D-South Ozone Park) and Councilman Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica), who organized a march in Corley’s memory Monday evening.
Nearly $5,000 had been raised by the GoFundMe page as of press time.
Reach reporter Patrick Donachie by e-mail at pdona
