By Carol Tannenhauser
Lashawn Mackey, 47, and Terrence Moore, 53, were indicted on Tuesday for the murder of 74-year-old Maria Hernandez on January 18, a crime District Attorney Alvin Bragg called “a brutal and callous murder that no family should ever have to experience,” in a press release. Ms. Hernandez was killed inside her apartment at 126 West 83rd Street, between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues.
Mackey and Moore are charged in a New York Supreme Court indictment with two counts of Murder in the Second Degree, one count of Aggravated Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, one count of Burglary in the First Degree, one count Robbery in the First Degree, and one count of Burglary in the Second Degree.”
The release went on to reveal details of the crime:
On January 18th, MACKEY and MOORE allegedly entered the apartment building together. They forced open the doors to the superintendent’s office and tore a bolt lock away. They cut the electrical wires to the surveillance video system and took the system itself away.
Responding NYPD officers found [Ms.Hernandez] in the apartment lying face down on the floor covered in strewn clothing, with bruises and lacerations across her body. Her hands and feet were bound together with rope.
MACKEY and MOORE left the building with two rolling bags that belonged to Ms. Hernandez.
“The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations,” the release concluded. “The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.”
This story was first reported in Patch.
May they have a speedy trial and if found guilty – punishment is served. I feel some relief that the DA focused on the victim and not the hardships of the alleged perps. Such a sad crime. Such a sad loss for the family of Ms. Hernandez
If guilty, too bad they can’t get executed. Might serve as a deterrent next time one these criminals decide to rob and kill defenseless people.
The death sentence is not a deterrent to crime. Surely you must know that – I am guessing you are a well-educated person. I’m not saying they shouldn’t be punished – indeed they should- but sentencing them to death won’t stop the next ones
Capital punishment is a 100%-effective deterrent to re-offense. Surely you must be able to understand that.
Obviously, incarceration isn’t a deterrent to crime either. Should society not incarcerate people either?
Society incarcerates people like Mackey and Moore, time and time and time again, only to release them time and time and time again to re-offend in the vain and arrogant delusion that they can somehow be ‘rehabilitated’.
Ms. Hernández and her family and her neighbors are, unfortunately, bearing the cost of that delusion.
No but it will stop them from repeating
But it WOULD rid society of two worthless murderers.
Of course it a deterrent to murder. One of the guys was already convicted of murder. Had he received the death penalty, instead of being released after 20 years, he wouldn’t have been able to murder one of our neighbors.
Something to consider when you hear politicians like Sen Hoylman push for elder release. No person should waste away their golden years in prison. Age doesn’t mean you’ve become a good human being.
I think of that woman every time I pass the building – which is several times a week. So awful. Everyone, DON’T LET ANYONE INTO YOUR APARTMENT, unless your super is with them, or someone else you trust. Be extra vigilant in buildings where it is easy to get indoors.
Scarily- he was the temp super! Thanks to restrictions on background checks, if City Council gets their way, any employee might be a criminal. As well as your next door neighbor.
One of the murderers, Mackey, was a part-time porter in that building, who (I’m supposing) was tasked with changing the locks on Ms. Hernandez’s apartment door but then kept a copy of the key.
So he just unlocked her door and let them both in; the murderers were already inside when the victim came home.
Ms. Hernandez never had a chance.
(Terrence Moore) “An ex-con who served 27 years for murder was identified in the killing of a beloved Manhattan great-grandmother through a green roller bag that he took from his victim’s apartment, prosecutors said Thursday.
“Mackey was a part-time porter in the building between May and August. Before he left, Mackey changed the locks in Hernandez’s apartment and kept a copy of the key, which was found on his keyring when he was arrested, prosecutors said….”
“…When Moore left Mackey’s building with one of the roller bags, they used surveillance video to track him another four blocks to a nearby shelter, where staff identified him, cops said.”
A second floor resident, who knew Mackey by his nick-name “Frosty” had talked to him before the break in, prosecutors said.
“During that conversation ‘Frosty’ stated that he was angry with the building’s super for reporting him to the police for a theft and that he had done something in retaliation,” the criminal court complaint read. “When the resident pointed out there were cameras throughout the building, ‘Frosty’ replied that he had taken care of that.”
Included quotes are from the NY Daily News article located here:
https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-manhattan-grandmother-bound-murder-arraignment-20230126-stkxo4yqyzhcvom76fza4gbvb4-story.html
Nice of the resident to have warned “Frosty” of the surveillance cameras, huh? Seems like a building with great neighbors looking out for the interest of the murderers here…
In ref to this: “During that conversation ‘Frosty’ stated that he was angry with the building’s super for reporting him to the police for a theft and that he had done something in retaliation,”
Was Mrs. Hernandez related to the super or was this just Mackey’s twisted mindset as far as retaliation was concerned? I don’t understand the connection here.
She was not related to the super, But Makey worked on her door lock when he worked as a part-time super& maybe kept a copy of her key or stole the keys from the super office.
Why did the management of the building hire & a convicted murderer to be their part-time super?
THIS! They are culpable in her rape and murder.
The management insists they are not at the fault of course.
100%
Terrence Moore was the convicted murderer (who’d just gotten off of probation, by the way).
Lashawn Mackey was the part-time employee, as a porter. I don’t know what kind of rap sheet he has, if any.
Mackey was in jail for 20 years for the murder & disemboweled of a man. And was hired to be a part-time super at the building where the women he murdered by the management of the building?
It appears you’re right.
I hope at the very least there’s a lawsuit by the family of Ms. Hernandez over that hire; but if there’s no law against it, then I think legislative active is a strong necessity & pressure by the citizenry to do so should take center stage.
Such a very sad, tragic and senseless loss of life.
It’s heartbreaking to imagine what this woman had to endure at the hands of these heartless criminals.
They should NEVER be allowed the opportunity to walk free and hurt anyone else!
Book em Dano
Put em in
Throw the key away
This past Saturday, Feb.18, the family had a beautiful one-month anniversary mass in her memory at her parish Holy Trinty on West 82nd Street. It was nice to see her family, friends, and neighbors celebrate her life. It is my understanding, in her youth, she had attended the connecting school that once existed on West 83rd street, Holy Trinty School (nowadays the Children’s Museum of Manhattan).
I have not been a big pro-death-penalty person, but I agree that if these guys had been executed years ago when they were convicted of their first murders, they would not have been around to kill Mrs. Hernandez. Getting out of prison after 20 years does not certify that the ex-convict is not going to repeat the crimes.
I don’t want to hear about how hard life is for ex-cons. The citizens who never committed crimes are the ones who first deserve protection.
This should be a capital offense. They murdered someone while committing other felonies. Stupid nyc is too lenient. Hang them by their necks until dead.