Two New York men have been charged with murdering a Guyanese man and setting him afire in his apartment in what was reportedly an attempt by another man to have the tenants in the building killed.
The New York Daily News said that the discovery of 43-year-old Azeem Ali’s scorched remains in his burned-out Richmond Hill apartment early Sunday led police to Stephen Peters, 22, and Jason St. Hill, 17, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.
The report said that Police charged the duo with kidnapping, arson, murder, burglary and robbery on Thursday. The alleged killers live on 95th Ave. which is less than a block away from the targeted house on 116th St.
Peters and St. Hill were reportedly hired by a man who wanted to kill the building’s tenants, police sources said.
The man, the newspaper’s sources said, had been angry with the building’s four tenants since May, when he was accused of molesting one of the residents.
Ali, who neighbours described as a hardworking Guyanese immigrant, suffered the vengeance in a terrifying death.
Police sources say the hitmen stormed into Ali’s home just before 2:30 a.m. Sunday, tied and gagged the tradesman and machinist and then pistol-whipped him.
Ali gave his attackers his ATM card and personal identification number, but Peters shot him twice in the head anyway, sources said.
Once the fire was extinguished, investigators found Ali in his bed, the report said.
His feet had been tied with electrical cord and his shoulders bound with speaker wire, sources said.
No one else was injured in the blaze.
Peters and St. Hill were arraigned Friday and are being held without bail. If convicted, they could face up to 25 years to life.
