Suspect Held Without Bail In Murder Of Queens Jogger Karina Vetrano
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A 20-year-old man is being held without bail Monday in the death of Queens jogger Karina Vetrano.
Chanel Lewis is charged with second-degree murder, authorities said. He was arraigned Sunday and his next court date is set for Feb. 21.
"This defendant admitted to attacking the victim, admitted to beating her, to strangling her and dragging her body in the weeds,'' Queens Assistant District Attorney Michael Curtis said.
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."
Police said Lewis was walking through the park to get something to eat in Howard Beach when the suspect claims Vetrano startled him.
Investigators said he became enraged and strangled her, but Lewis claims he didn't sexually assault Vetrano. He then fled the park on the East New York side, police said.
The Legal Aid Society, which is defending Lewis, issued a statement.
"We are spending this critical time getting to know our client and his family, and reviewing all the facts associated with this case," said Tina Luongo of the Legal Aid Society. "We caution everyone - including the media- not to rush to immediate judgment. As our judicial system affords, Mr. Lewis is entited to fairness and due process."
Police confirm Lewis has no criminal history, but as CBS2's Jessica Layton reports, Lewis does have a history of mental problems including an incident in May 2011 at a New York City high school. Sources say he admitted to hating women and allegedly told the school administrator he wanted to stab and kill female students.
Vetrano's parents were emotional after they left court Sunday, where they saw their daughter's alleged killer for the first time.
"He's a demon! He's a demon!" said Cathy Vetrano.
But Lewis' father, Richard Lewis, paints a much different picture of his son.
"Wonderful and he's great," he said. "Whatever I heard, he wouldn't have done it."
Lewis' sister, Theresa Forbes, said her brother is a kind, gentle and loving person.
"He would never take another person's life. We are Christians," Forbes said. "The Bible tells us do not kill, thou shall not kill. My family would never commit a murder, we never will. They are framing him for the crime."
As CBS2's Andrea Grymes reported, Forbes was adamant - calling her brother a, "kind, gentle, loving person."
When asked why she thinks her brother is being framed she responded, "He's a black man."
"He's a black man, because it's a white person they're framing my brother. They need to get up off their (expletive) and find the real killer, and get my brother out of jail. The cops are so corrupt. I do not trust any cops," she said.
Forbes was quick to dismiss DNA swabs and a confession.
"The DNA is wrong. The cops framed him. They corrupted the DNA. He would never take another life," she said. "To the family, I'm sorry for their loss, but they have the wrong person behind bars."
As CBS2's Hazel Sanchez reported, the community of Howard Beach was shaken to its core by the shocking murder.
"It's one of those cases that have dominated our thoughts in our detective bureau to great end," NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said.
For those who knew the 30-year-old Vetrano, images of her alleged killer are drawing feelings of relief but also rage.
"It looked like he had smiles on his face and if I were there, I would have gone after him. It put a pit in my stomach," Vetrano family friend Joe Dipierro told CBS2's Janelle Burrell. "He looked like there was something wrong with him, in the head, and I knew she fought for her life."
"When we found out he was caught, we were definitely much more at ease," said Howard Beach resident Al Tammaro.
"I'm just ecstatic that he's caught and we can all have peace now," said Howard Beach resident Margherita Scaffa.
"I hope he gets what he deserves, to be honest with you," said Dipierro. "Because what he did was a horrible, horrific crime."
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.
Over the next six months, investigators combed through the federal park land, looked through surveillance video, questioned hundreds of people, and collected 600 samples of DNA -- none were a match.
Police said Lewis was tracked down late last week at his home in East New York, Brooklyn that he shares with his mother and sister.
"Karina help us identify this person," Boyce said. "She had the DNA under her nails, she had touch DNA on her back and more DNA on the cell phone."
The big break came from NYPD Lieutenant John Russo, whose family lives in Howard Beach. Police say back in May, three months before Vetrano's death, Russo called 911 about Lewis acting suspiciously in the area.
"We went to a 911 call that was from the Spring of 2016. His name came up in that. We had to go to the police officer to find out who it was. Then it became a lead and nothing more than that," Boyce said.
Investigators last week circled back to that report, identifying Lewis as a possible suspect.
"We went to speak to him on February 2nd 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," Boyce said.
Authorities said Lewis did not know Vetrano before the attack.
If convicted, Lewis faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
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