A lady gunned down by her homeless estranged husband in Queens final month was making an attempt to defend her daughter from the barrage of bullets when she was killed, prosecutors mentioned Thursday.
Audwin Caines, 62, allegedly approached 45-year-old Chaneil Ramsay as she walked along with her 21-year-old daughter in South Jamaica round 2:30 p.m. June 23 and began opening hearth, based on the Queens DA’s Workplace.
The focused mom and daughter ducked behind a automobile parked within the driveway of a house on 127th Avenue close to 176th Avenue, court docket paperwork reveal.
However as Caines obtained nearer to the pair, Ramsay stood up, stepped away from the automobile and ran towards the pursuing gunman to maintain her daughter out of hurt’s method, based on prosecutors.
That’s when Caines allegedly shot her at point-blank vary, killing her, the DA’s workplace charged.
Ramsay collapsed onto the pavement, the place police discovered her face down, unconscious and unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the top, cops mentioned.
In the meantime, Caines took off, and the sufferer’s daughter referred to as the cops, police mentioned.
Ramsay was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Heart, the place she was pronounced lifeless.
About two hours earlier than the homicide, the sufferer discovered the entrance passenger window of her Jeep Grand Cherokee shattered, with a brick contained in the automobile, the criticism mentioned.
A couple of minutes earlier than that, Ramsay allegedly obtained a slew of messages from Caines on Whatsapp, together with a photograph of the damaged window and threats to hurt her, based on the court docket submitting.
The intimidating texts included, “I’m going to maintain f–king up your s–t,” and “You wish to f–okay me over now, I’m doing it to you,” prosecutors mentioned.
Caines can also be accused of bashing Ramsay within the head with a full bottle of alcohol – after which stabbing her within the chest and elbow with the damaged fragments – in a separate assault again on July 1, 2024, the court docket docs reveal.
The couple was arguing inside their Irwin Place dwelling when Ramsay requested Caines to depart, sparking his violent outburst, based on prosecutors.
Caines was arraigned Wednesday evening on expenses of homicide, tried homicide, legal possession of a weapon and legal mischief in connection to the cold-blooded slaying.
He was additionally arraigned on expenses of felony assault and legal possession of a weapon, associated to the damaged bottle assault, prosecutors mentioned.
Caines was ordered held with out bail by Queens Prison Court docket Decide Sharifa Nasser-Cuellar, together with his subsequent look set for Friday.
If convicted, Caines may face 25 years to life behind bars.
“As alleged, a 45-year-old girl was senselessly gunned down on the streets of St. Albans by her estranged husband, as a part of an escalating collection of violent incidents,” Queens District Legal professional Melinda Katz mentioned in an announcement. “This homicide shocked the neighborhood, and my workplace will search justice for the household of Chaneil Ramsay.”
