4 The Courier sun • AUGUST 13, 2015 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com Alleged burglars lock out Jamaica Estates homeowner BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA on the property and that she could not gain access [email protected]/@CristabelleT to her house until she signed documents regarding the property. Three men who allegedly broke into a Jamaica When she told them that her husband was the Estates residence and locked the homeowner out property owner and was in China, they had her call until the deed to the house was transferred to them him, prosecutors said. The home invaders then told could now be locked behind bars for years. the husband about the documents he needed to Brandon Sestoso, 33, his brother Chas Sestoso, sign, which included a deed transfer for the property, 31, both of Hicksville, Long Island, and Jesse and emailed them to him. Though the husband Kusinow, 32, of Howell, N.J., are accused of the crime, which District Attorney Richard Brown called a “truly bizarre case.” According to the charges, after leaving her Grand Central Parkway home on the morning of April 29, the homeowner’s wife came back that evening to find that the locks had been changed and the three men were inside. They allegedly told her that they were working with the bank that held the mortgage allegedly signed and emailed back several of these documents, he did not sign the deed transfer, and continued to receive requests to do so. The next day, the three gave the wife 10 minutes to retrieve belongings from the first floor of the home, according to the district attorney, at which time she noticed that it had been ransacked. On May 12, the homeowner returned to the house and removed all the locks. Once inside, he found that the house was in disorder with missing property that included jewelry, knives, cash, and the deed and documents related to the ownership of his home. Brandon Sestoso is currently awaiting arraignment on charges of second-degree burglary, thirddegree criminal mischief, unlawful eviction and second-degree criminal trespass. Kusinow was arraigned on June 10 on charges of second-degree burglary, third-degree grand larceny, third-degree criminal mischief, unlawful eviction and seconddegree criminal trespass, and has been held in jail in lieu of $75,000 bail since that time. Chas Sestoso was arraigned on May 26 on charges of seconddegree burglary, third-degree criminal mischief, unlawful eviction and second-degree criminal trespass. He was released on $10,000 bail. All three face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. Mom charged with throwing infant son out of window to his death BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected] @aaltamirano28 The mother of a 3-week-old boy whose body was found in a Richmond Hill apartment building’s courtyard last week has been charged with murder after allegedly throwing the child out a four-story window because she believed an evil spirit had taken over the boy’s body. Rashida Chowdhury, 21, was arrested and charged with second degree murder and intentional murder of a victim less than 11 years old, the NYPD announced Saturday. A witness told authorities that just before 4 a.m. she had heard an unusual noise like a “thump” coming from the courtyard at 85-55 115th St., according to court documents. The witness then went to the lobby area of the building, looked through a window to the courtyard and saw a baby lying on the cement floor unresponsive and with an apparent injury to the head. She then called 911. Officers from the 102nd Precinct responded to the 911 call at 85-55 115th St. at about 4:06 a.m. on Aug. 7, according to police. Upon arriving, they found the baby, Rizwan Ahmad, unconscious and unresponsive. Emergency medical personnel also responded and pronounced the infant dead at the scene. During their investigation, authorities observed an open window on the fourth floor of the building and determined it to be the baby’s apartment, court documents said. The height from the window to the courtyard floor was determined to be about 42 feet high. While being questioned, the child’s mother— who lived in the apartment with her 40-yearold husband and other family members — said she woke up between 3:30 and 4 a.m. and took Rizwan from the bed and went into the bathroom, according to the criminal complaint. While she was alone in the bathroom with the baby she said she tossed him out of the bathroom window. According to court records, Chowdhury said that an evil spirit had taken over her infant son, who had recently been sick, and she was “stopping the pain.” “This is a truly horrific and disturbing case of a mother accused of killing her helpless 3-week-old infant son by tossing him out of a window, where he fell more than 40 feet to the pavement and died,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. “The alleged actions of the defendant are totally incomprehensible. She now faces serious charges that could lead to her spending the rest of her life behind bars if convicted.” After performing an autopsy on the boy, the medical examiner classified the death as a homicide and said the baby died of a blunt impact of the head and torso with skull fractures and lacerations of brain, liver and spleen, according to court records. Chowdhury was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court and is being held without bail. She has also been placed on suicide watch and is scheduled to appear in court again on Sept. 10. If convicted on her charges, Chowdhury faces up to 25 years to life in prison. Rashida Chowdhury the mother of a 3-week-old boy, whose body was found in the courtyard of 85-55 115th St. (pictured), has been charged for murder. Photos by Robert Stridiron The body of a 3-week-old boy who died in Richmond Hill on the morning of Aug. 7 is placed into the medical examiner’s van.
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