In a New York courtroom on Tuesday, the suspect was indicted on murder charges and several other criminal counts, two months after a Department of Social Services caseworker was attacked in an unprovoked incident when she was mistaken for someone else. Sadly, the caseworker passed away from her injuries a month after the incident.
The City of Peekskill Police Department reported an assault on May 14th at an apartment on South Street. According to their statement, 56-year-old Maria Coto was found unconscious at the scene, having sustained serious head injuries in the afternoon.
Authorities reported that 31-year-old Hasseem Jenkins was present during the incident and was subsequently taken into custody. He has been held at Westchester County Jail on charges of attempted murder and assault. According to reports, the suspect was wearing heavy boots as he brutally stomped on Coto.
After a thorough review of the court records in Westchester County, it has been discovered that Jenkins made an appearance in court on Tuesday morning. During the hearing, Jenkins entered a plea of not guilty and was subsequently held without bail due to the severity of the charges. According to the docket, Jenkins has been charged with murder with intent, as well as murder committed during the commission of another felony. Additionally, Jenkins is facing charges of burglary, robbery, and criminal possession of a weapon.
According to police, a father who was heading home from work on a city bus was shot and killed in what appears to be a random and unprovoked attack. This tragic incident has been covered extensively by Law&Crime.
According to the report, when the authorities arrived at the location, Jenkins directed foul language towards the victim and proceeded to make false accusations of her attempting to stab him.
Co-workers and family members of Coto, a devoted employee and member of the Civil Service Employees Association labor union, honored her memory after her untimely death. According to a niece who spoke with local ABC affiliate WABC, Coto was planning to retire soon before the senseless attack occurred.
According to a report by News 12 on Thursday, Judy Yanes, who is Coto’s goddaughter, and her aunt Maria Gutierrez, were present in court as the suspect charged with Coto’s murder made an appearance.
According to reports, Yanes has stated that they will remain present until Coto is imprisoned for the remainder of his life. Gutierrez expressed how much she misses Coto and described her as a kind-hearted person.