Next Court Date Set For Suspect Charged In Murder Of Queens Jogger
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The next court date for a 20-year-old man accused of killing Queens jogger Karina Vetrano has been set.
Chanel Lewis is charged with second-degree murder, authorities said. His next court appearance was scheduled Tuesday for April.
Investigators said Vetrano was strangled when she went for a run alone in Spring Creek Park on Aug. 2 of last year. Later that night, her retired firefighter father found her body in a marsh not far from their Howard Beach home.
The complaint against Lewis claims he "did punch the victim, Karina Vetrano, about the face and head and strangled the victim around the neck, thereby causing her death."
The break in the case came from NYPD Lieutenant John Russo, whose family lives in Howard Beach. Police said back in May, three months before Vetrano's death, Russo called 911 about Lewis acting suspiciously in the area.
Investigators then circled back to that report, identifying Lewis as a possible suspect.
"We went to speak to him on February 2 at his home in East New York, where he voluntarily gave the DNA sample, which we've taken I think 600 DNA samples in this case, and it wasn't til Saturday, with a quick turnaround by the OCME (The Office of Chief Medical Examiner), that we identified him," Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said earlier this month.
Queens Assistant District Attorney Michael Curtis said Lewis "admitted to attacking the victim, admitted to beating her, to strangling her and dragging her body in the weeds."
The Legal Aid Society, which is defending Lewis, issued a statement Tuesday, saying Lewis "deserves all the protections our laws provides: the presumption of innocence, unbiased and uninfluenced due process, and a meaningful opportunity to fight any and all charges."
"Our defense team is working with Chanel, his family and his community to insure that we meticulously scrutinize every alleged fact, every forensic test and every action the police took in their investigation," the statement said. "He deserves nothing less."
Authorities said Lewis did not know Vetrano. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.