Man admits to killing elderly Queens woman known as ‘cat lady’
A man told cops he murdered a beloved 92-year-old Queens “cat lady” – because “he hated his mother,” law-enforcement sources told The Post on Friday.
Police picked up the 21-year-old suspect — who didn’t know his victim — Thursday night and hauled him off to the 106th Precinct in Ozone Park, where he later admitted to the killing and was arrested, sources said. The charges are pending, police said
A source said the suspect claimed to police that he murdered victim Maria Fuertes because “his mother abused him – he hated his mother.” The alleged killer’s own brother helped lead cops to him.
Fuertes, who sources say was strangled, was found lying on the sidewalk at Liberty Avenue and 127th Street in Richmond Hill, just a block from her home, around midnight Monday.
Police believe that the suspect approached Fuertes from behind and knocked her down to the ground hard enough that she suffered fractures to her neck and back. Authorities are also probing the possibility that she was sexually assaulted by her attacker.
Fuertes was out in the late night hour picking up bottles from the street as part of her regular routine, according to sources.
Investigators tracked the suspect to his home about a mile from the scene of the crime using surveillance footage, the sources said.
Sources said the suspect’s brother even called police after the NYPD released surveillance footage of a man wanted in the murder to say his sibling was the one shown in the video.
The suspect has a recent prior arrest on his record for a domestic incident involving his brother, sources said.
Neighbors of Fuertes said she was known as the “cat lady” because she was always outside taking care of local felines.
NYPD Chief Rodney Harrison and Commissioner Dermot Shea praised the detectives who tracked down the suspect.
“Our detectives always work relentlessly to find justice for victims,” Shea said.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment