Lashawn Mackey: Man arrested for murder of woman, 74, found bound and gagged in NYC home
UPPER WEST SIDE, MANHATTAN: A Brooklyn man is arrested in connection with the horrifying death of an elderly Manhattan woman who was discovered with her hands and feet tied up in her Upper West Side apartment. According to authorities, Lashawn Mackey, 47, of Bergen Street, was charged on Saturday, January 22, with murder, attempted murder, and two counts of burglary in the murder of Maria Hernandez, 74.
Maria Terrero, Hernandez's sister, who went to check on her at around 9.30 pm on Wednesday returned with her bruised body. The 74-year-old was found face-down on the floor of her bedroom in her third-story apartment on West 83rd Street, as per New York Post. According to police, she had a gag in her mouth and her wrists and feet were bound.
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Maria Terrero who found her sister's bruised body in her Upper West Side apartment described the moment and said, "Wow, I'm still in shock. I can't believe it. It's the most terrifying moment of my life," according to NBC New York. Hernandez's daughter called to report she hadn't heard from her mother, prompting Terrero to go upstairs to check on her.
Police and sources claimed that the house had been looted. An autopsy eventually indicated that Hernandez died from "homicidal asphyxia including neck compression," according to a city Medical Examiner spokeswoman. According to police reports, she was discovered with bruises and fractures all over her body.
There were reportedly two cops standing at the victim's apartment door early Saturday. A young woman entering the building with a large bag that appeared to contain clothing gulped back tears when questioned if she was linked to the victim, "It’s very, very hard for me and my family. We’ve already talked to the police and the district attorney. I don’t want to talk anymore," the woman stated, without identifying herself, as per New York Post.
According to a resident, Hernandez went to "a show with her sister" in the afternoon on Wednesday possibly a Broadway matinee, and then went back to her apartment. "A neighbor upstairs was having a birthday party and invited her. She [Hernandez] said she was tired and was drinking soup," the resident detailed. Around 6 pm, the upstairs neighbor, according to the resident, "came down with a slice of cake" for Hernandez.
Who is Lashawn Mackey?
On Saturday morning, police reported that Lashawn Mackey had been taken into custody at his Bergen St residence in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. In addition to two counts of burglary, he was accused of murder and attempted murder. Mackey was escorted out of the 20th Precinct on West 82nd Street Saturday night while wearing a blue hoodie and khaki pants. "I’m innocent. I’m innocent. Tell them to prove themselves," he said to media people outside the precinct. "Look for the DNA results at the scene of the crime. Ask them for it," as Daily News reported.
Hernandez's residence had no traces of being broken into, indicating that she knew the attacker. However, a relative claimed that Mackey is unknown to the family. The building manager claimed that a crowbar was used to enter the basement and remove a DVR with surveillance video.