12 THE QUEENS COURIER • AUGUST 2, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
police beat COMPILED BY ROBERT POZARYCKI, EMILY DAVENPORT AND JENNA BAGCAL
102nd Precinct
Richmond Hill
Life without parole for
brutal murderer
Th e Richmond Hill man who tied up,
fatally shot and burned a robbery victim
inside his apartment nearly fi ve years
ago will be spending the rest of his life
behind bars.
Stephen Peters, 27, of 95th Avenue
received a life sentence without parole on
July 25 aft er being convicted in June of
fi rst- and second-degree murder for the
February 2013, execution-style slaying of
Azeem Ali, 43, of Richmond Hill.
Queens District Attorney Richard A.
Brown said that Peters had already begun
serving a 30 years to life sentence aft er
being convicted in January 2017 of second
degree murder and lesser charges
including robbery, burglary, kidnapping,
arson and tampering with physical evidence.
Jurors in that trial, however, failed
to reach a guilty verdict on the top charge
of fi rst-degree murder.
Brown’s offi ce opted to retry Peters
on three fi rst-degree murder counts, as
a conviction on that charge carries a
penalty of life imprisonment without
parole. Prosecutors ultimately succeeded
in achieving a guilty verdict from a jury
last month.
“Th e brutality and viciousness of this
killing is mind-boggling,” Brown said.
“Th e victim in this case was defenseless
aft er being beaten and restrained, but
the defendant still shot him in the head
and then, in an attempt to cover up the
crime, set the apartment ablaze, potentially
injuring others that lived in the
building.”
Th e heinous crime occurred just aft er
midnight on Feb. 24, 2013, when Peters
and an accomplice — Jason St. Hill, 22
— visited Ali’s home on 95th Avenue in
South Richmond Hill. Once inside, law
enforcement sources said that Peters beat
up Ali, then bound his hands and feet
with electrical cord as St. Hill pointed a
gun at the victim.
Authorities said that Peters went down
to the basement to retrieve a container of
gasoline, then returned to Ali’s apartment
and demanded the victim’s bank card and
PIN. Once Ali complied with his request,
Peters shot him three times in the head.
Before leaving the scene, Peters doused
Ali’s body with gasoline and spread the
fuel around the apartment, then set it all
on fi re.
Firefi ghters responding to the inferno
discovered Ali’s charred remains aft er
extinguishing the blaze.
Detectives later learned that Peters and
St. Hill used Ali’s debit card to withdraw
$200 from an ATM at a gas station shortly
aft er the robbery. Both suspects were
picked up four days later.
Brown said that St. Hill pleaded guilty
in February 2017 to fi rst-degree robbery
and is now serving a 12 1/2-year prison
sentence.
108th Precinct
Long Island City
Suspect wanted for
daytime shooting
Cops are looking for the gunman who
opened fi re on a man during an argument
on a Long Island City street in broad daylight
on Tuesday, July 31.
According to police, at 4:30 p.m. on July
31, the 24-year-old male victim was walking
in front of 42-15 Crescent St. when he
got into an argument with an unknown
man who was also walking on the sidewalk.
During the dispute, the suspect displayed
a fi rearm.
Th e victim started to pursue the suspect
down Crescent Street and the perpetrator
shot the man in the left thigh.
Th e perpetrator then fl ed the scene in
an unknown direction. EMS responded
to the scene and transported the victim to
Elmhurst Hospital Center, where he is in
stable condition.
Cops described the suspect as a black
man in his mid-20s with a medium complexion,
medium build and black hair. He
was last seen wearing a black backpack, a
tan baseball hat, a black shirt, tan cargo
pants and tan shoes.
111th Precinct
Bayside
FDNY fi refi ghter caught
drunk driving
An off -duty fi refi ghter for the FDNY
was cuff ed on drunk driving aft er crashing
his car into a parked car in Bayside
and refusing a breath test.
According to police, in the early hours
of July 29, Daniel McDougall, 28, was
driving in the vicinity of 43rd Avenue
and 221st Street when he hit a parked car.
Police arrived at the location and determined
that McDougall had been drinking.
However, McDougall refused to take
a breathalyzer test at the scene.
McDougall was arrested and charged
with a DWI and refusal to take a breath
test. He was also charged with a DWAI,
or driving under the infl uence of alcohol.
Police indicated that he has had a prior
record of similar charges.
113th Precinct
Springfi eld Gardens
Two brothers kill burglar
during home invasion
Detectives are questioning two brothers
who attacked and killed a burglar who
invaded their Queens home early in the
morning of Monday, July 30.
Law enforcement sources said the
incident occurred just before 2:45 a.m.
on July 30 at a home on Williamson
Avenue between 193rd and 197th streets
in Springfi eld Gardens.
According to law enforcement sources,
a 26-year-old man banged on the front
door, then forced his way inside it to enter
the two-story home. Upon getting inside,
authorities said, he confronted the two
brothers, ages 16 and 27.
Using a baseball bat and a knife, police
said, the brothers attacked the home
invader, striking him repeatedly about
the torso and body.
Offi cers from the 113th Precinct and
EMS units responded to the location aft er
receiving a 911 call about the incident.
Upon arrival, they found the suspected
burglar with trauma to the head and a
stab wound to the torso.
Paramedics rushed the man to Jamaica
Hospital, where he was pronounced dead
a short time later. Police did not disclose
his identity, pending family notifi cation.
No charges have been fi led against the
brothers at this time, but the investigation
is ongoing, police said.
114th Precinct
Astoria
Teen trio rob and
attack pedestrians
Police are seeking the public’s help
in fi nding three teen robbers who are
wanted in connection with theft s around
Astoria on a single day.
On July 27 at 11:45 a.m., police responded
to a report that three unidentifi ed individuals
approached a 15-year-old boy on
a bicycle in front of 23-38 Broadway.
According to law enforcement sources,
the three produced a knife and pushed the
boy to the ground. Th e victim resisted the
trio’s attempts to forcibly take his bike, but
they had managed to take the teen’s iPhone
6S Plus that had fallen to the ground during
the scuffl e. Th e suspects fl ed westbound on
Broadway and left the teen with a minor
laceration on his right shin.
At 5:25 p.m. on the same day, the trio
entered the Rite Aid at 32-87 Steinway
St. and attempted to leave the store with
three stolen umbrellas. When a 50-yearold
male employee tried stopping them,
they struck him with the umbrellas and
punched him in the face. Th ey fl ed northbound
on Steinway Street with the stolen
goods. Th e victim sustained minor injuries
but refused medical attention.
Twenty minutes later, at approximately
5:45 p.m., the three hailed a yellow cab on
Steinway Street, between Broadway and
34th Avenue. As they were being dropped
off in front of 1-05 Astoria Blvd., the trio
allegedly threatened the 42-year-old cab
driver with a knife and took $81 cash from
the center console. Th ey then fl ed on foot
inside of 1-20 Astoria Blvd. Police sources
said that the driver was not injured.
Th e NYPD said the suspects as black
males ranging in age from 15 to 19 years
old and their descriptions are as follows:
Th e fi rst teen is about 5 feet 6 inches
tall and 145 pounds with a medium complexion
and a slim build. He was last seen
wearing a red du-rag, a black Metallica
T-shirt, black pants and black sneakers.
Th e second teen is also about 5 feet 6
inches tall and 145 pounds with a medium
complexion and a slim build. He was
last seen wearing a black du-rag, glasses, a
black “I Prevail” T-shirt, black shorts and
black sneakers.
Th e third teen is described as 5 feet 11
inches tall, 190 pounds with a medium
complexion, a medium build and close-cut
black hair. He was last seen wearing a white
T-shirt, black pants and white sneakers.
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