From the Daily News:A homeless couple camping out in a Queens park strangled a man to death with a sneaker lace before running off with his wallet, prosecutors say.
Thomas Donovan, 31, and girlfriend Kelly Harnett, 28, face second-degree murder charges for Wednesday's pre-dawn slaying of Ruben Angel Vargas, 32, in Astoria Park.
In statements to cops, each implicated the other. Harnett claimed Donovan woke her to say he'd just choked a man who stole his sneakers, prosecutors said. In his statement, Donovan claimed he fought with Vargas after the victim propositioned and groped Harnett, and she wrapped the lace around his neck.
More details are available from the Times Ledger.
11 comments:
Homeless!? Astoria Park!?
new low.
... I have not been in the nabe as long as you, but those things that happened in the 70's, I've heard about from long time neighbors. I guess this area used to be rife with crime.
The point is, we are no longer in the 70's and if people shrug their shoulders and pass this off as a sort of "city" thing that just happens, then I fear we can expect to go straight back to the 70's.
(I suppose there is a reason they shot Serpico with Pacino under that bridge back in the 70's!..the setting fir the nature of the story)
I toally agree the park should be open 24-7, especially in this economy when many families cannot afford AC, or as you point out, people who work late hours....
It's the filth that comes to visit and mess our home up that drives me crazy to no end.
We live in the best neighborhood in NYC and I welcome the visitors; it helps our area businesses, but at what cost to our quality fo life and now our safety?
If you allow hoodlums to run wild with the cops not truly giving a damn, then this is what ya get!
They are the last people I would have expected. There are so many thugs at the strip on Friday/Saturday night I thought it would have been a younger guy. I also wonder if they will charge him with a hate crime.
And to the 5 month Astoria hipster resident above me who is absolutely stricken with glee that this murder has added character to Astoria, please do me a favor and walk out at night until you get jumped/robbed/murdered thanks in advance.
From Astorians.com.....
Reading your post, and knowing your hipster kind i really hope nyc turns into the bad old days, as this will be enough to send you guys packing I assure you..
as for the vic... I feel really bad for him and hope justice is served... I run from my office to astoria blvd n and shore blvd via ditmars... and I see the hipsters milling about looking ironic with their stupid t-shirts dumb-ass tribal tats walking aimlessly looking for something they can tweet about to their frined back home in wis/mn/mi or what ever state you came from
(I suppose there is a reason they shot Serpico with Pacino under that bridge back in the 70's!..the setting fir the nature of the story)
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I don't understand that. Serpico was about exposing police corruption. How is that related to Astoria Park and under the bridge?
That girl ain't homeless. She lives around the corner from the park. saw her skank ass ever day. the donovan dude is a dangling sack of white trash who is also her baby daddy. he is likely the "homeless" one, unless her mom finally kicked her herpes hole outta there. She used to be a stripper. You can fine her myspace account online. She is foul yet claims to have morals. Whining on about wanting a real man. Classic white trash gone even worse. Let her skank ass rot in a cell til time ends
I pray we're not going back to the 70's. I have lived in Astoria for 50 years and am third generation.
I grew up on 23rd Street and now live on 18th across from the park.
Growing up we were not even allowed near the park without our parents and when my brother defied my pop and went down the river with friends, he was beaten home with a yardstick.
The words, "pill hill" come to mind as does the notorious goings on on the upper deck of the pool observation area.
Crack down hard and fast while it is still under control.
Pill Hill... OMG.. I do so remember that... I wasnt allowed down the park either.. I was most likely 11 or 12... But I remember all the hippies doped up and laying all over the end of the park... The neighborhood got really bad after that and everyone put security bars on their windows... Heroin was big and aids went around fast... just look in St. Mikes cemetary and read the headstones and the ages of all the kids that died here... was a shame, my brother was one of them.. the area was bad and he was sucked in... slowly things got better ..
But just 2 weeks ago while watering my garden I saw something I thought was garbage and went to pick it up.. to my surprise it was a womans lepoard thong... right out of fredericks of hollywood... I was so shocked I tossed it in the street.. the following week while weeding in the garden I came across a large kitchen carving knife... I was sure that they must have been placed there at the same time and was horrified at what might have happened... I called the 114th pct and was told that no crime had been reported and to throw the knife out... I thought how nice... no crime in astoria...
ASTORIA IS IN TROUBLE...
I live a block from the park and have noticed this summer that it is not as safe as in the last few years. You can often find homeless people sleeping on the benches around the park and not just after dark. The strip on Shore Blvd is getting out of control with motorcycles spinning circles in the street, racing and other things with no thought to other people who may be around. Kids are breaking into the skate park construction area after dark. There have also been numerous car break ins around the neighborhood and just last weekend we had someone break into the first floor of our home. I have never been worried about that before and am now going to put bars on our windows. It really saddens me because I have always been so proud of my neighborhood- felt safe walking my dog at the park and it is changing so quickly lately.
The girl who helped kill that man at Astoria Park had potential...smart girl catholic school most likely to succeed;...blame her parents who let her loose after she graduated hs and let her rot... Thumbs down to her parents piece of sheets who didnt care...Sadly she was in my daughter's HS class for 4 years wasted life...
it's not just economy that's bringing in the filth... it's the people who aren't from astoria that are the problem too... people in the hood (homeless or not) can sport you people out from a mile away... youre an easy target...
our neighborhood is fully established we don't need your economy in here, move to an "up and coming" neighborhood ...
Get out!
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