Bed-Stuy Man Pleads Guilty In 2005 Cold Case Murder: DA

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, BROOKLYN — A Bed-Stuy man's guilty plea closes the book on a 2005 cold case murder, authorities said.

Julius Esquilin, 37, pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of his girlfriend, Desiree Cofield, 22, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney's office.

Cofield died Feb. 19, 2005 from a single gunshot to her head, authorities said. A lengthy cold case reinvestigation finally circled around Esquilin, they said.

“The violence this defendant inflicted claimed the life of a young woman and forever altered the lives of her two children who have grown up without a mother," Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. "It was important to me to create a Cold Case Unit to bring overdue answers to families like this, who now know what happened to their loved one and hopefully have a degree of closure that justice has been served."

The investigation found that Esquilin and Cofield argued outside and inside their Greene Avenue apartment building, authorities said. A neighbor heard a gunshot and saw a blue flash before hearing Cofield's daughter say, "Mommy, Mommy," according to authorities.

“I know you heard that; call the police," Esquilin told the neighbor through the wall, authorities said.

Medics and police arrived to find Cofield dead and Esquilin acting upset, authorities said. Cofield's 3-year-old daughter and 4-year-old nephew were awake in the bedroom, they said. Cofield's and Esquilin's 2-month-old daughter was not around when police arrived, according to the DA.

Police found a shell casing and matching live round, according to authorities, along with a note signed by Esquilin which stated:

“Even if I am gone, I still love all of my daughters and my big mouth baby mother, Julius.”

But police never found a gun and it appears no charges were filed until 2018, when a grand jury convened, court records state. Esquilin's plea to a manslaughter charge reduced a murder charge, according to court records.

Esquilin is scheduled for sentencing on April 8 and a judge is likely to levy a 15-year prison term, according to the DA.