EXCLUSIVE: Man Convicted In 2008 Beating Death Of Long Island City Good Samaritan Gets 19 Years
NEW YORK (CBS 2) -- Wednesday was sentencing day for a Queens man who killed a beloved Long Island City resident who was trying to help his neighbor.
As CBS 2's John Slattery reported exclusively, the killer came face to face with the victim's daughter.
For Doris Nowillo-Suda and her husband, it has been a painful three-and-a-half years without her father, who was killed so senselessly.
"He was known as the Good Samaritan, going to help someone out of her car," Nowillo-Suda said.
Her father was a retired jeweler, 65-year-old Nicolas Nowillo, who emigrated from Ecuador. He was known to his neighbors of as the "Mayor of Long Island City," where he lived for 34 years. He had two daughters and four grandchildren.
Nowillo was beaten to death outside his Crescent Street home in September 2008 while trying to help a neighbor. Eric Cherry, 47, described by prosecutors as a homeless drug addict, was convicted of manslaughter and on Wednesday sentenced to 19 years.
Nowillo's next-door neighbor had just driven home and didn't want to get out of her car because of a threatening-looking man. So, she called Nowillo next door and asked him to escort her.
When he came outside, Nowillo encountered Cherry pounding on a car. Nowillo told him to stop and was attacked.
"And he beat my father, nine ribs broken, internal bleeding, and a fatal heart attack, quick," Nowillo-Suda said.
In court, Cherry said, "I never intended for anyone to lose his life. My condolences go out to the family. This is certainly a tragedy not only for them but for myself and my family."
"I feel saddened for him because he made a choice and that got him 19 years today," Nowillo-Suda told CBS 2's Slattery.
Nowillo's daughter said she thinks of her father every day. Undoubtedly, so do the people who received his organ donations of eyes, skin and bone marrow.
Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below. ...
