Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Crime

NYC Man Suspected Of Murdering Love Triangle Rival And Burning Corpse Took Victim’s Seat In Church

Advertisement


NEW YORK (BKDAO) – Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Bedford Stuyvesant man has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for killing a Mount Vernon man and attempting to conceal his crime by setting fire to the victim’s corpse in the basement of a Brooklyn apartment building. The two men were romantic rivals and the defendant stalked the victim for months before the murder.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “The depravity of the defendant’s actions cannot be overstated, and the lengthy prison term to which he has been sentenced holds him accountable for killing an innocent man in cold blood and desecrating his remains. While nothing can return Jonathan Blake to his loved ones, I hope this sentence provides them with some measure of solace. Brooklyn is safer with this defendant behind bars.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Derek Whitaker, 58, of Bedford- Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun to 25 years to life in prison. The defendant was convicted on June 16, 2023, of second-degree murder, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, fourth-degree arson, tampering with physical evidence, and concealment of a human corpse following a jury trial.

The District Attorney said that, according to the evidence, in the early morning hours of March 13, 2020, on North Broadway, in Yonkers, the defendant ambushed Jonathan Blake, 55, shooting him in the head and killing him. The defendant later transported the victim’s body to the basement of a building at 494 Jefferson Avenue in Bedford Stuyvesant where he worked as a superintendent and where his mother resided.

On March 16, 2020, according to the evidence, the defendant attempted to cover up the killing by setting fire to the victim’s corpse using gasoline. A resident of the building smelled smoke and ventured into the basement where they observed the defendant standing over a metal barrel with the victim’s two legs sticking out. The resident reported the incident to the building’s manager who called 911. Members of the New York City Fire Department and the New York City Police Department arrived at the address and the defendant was arrested shortly thereafter.

Advertisement

Investigators later learned the two men were romantic rivals and that the defendant had been stalking the victim for four to six months.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Furthermore, according to the evidence, in the time between killing the victim and setting fire to his corpse, the defendant attended a service at a church in Westchester County where the victim and his family worshiped. The defendant sat in the victim’s empty seat and embraced the victim’s brother.

Facebook Comments




News by Breaking911

Loading

Advertisement
Click to comment

You May Also Like

Covid-19

Advertisement  Corrine Lund is a nurse who has absolutely had enough of the lies. Lund came forward on “The Stew Peters Show” to reveal...

Crime

Advertisement A woman is very concerned after a bail bondsman from Doc’s Bail Bonds in Denton kicked in her front door without a warrant....

Missing

Advertisement The massive search for Gabby Petito after the Florida woman vanished in September and was later found dead in a Wyoming national park...

Proud Boys

Advertisement Proud Boys move into counter protester’s staging area as clash continues in park near Portland. Proud Boys and antifa clash in Portland area...

Advertisement