Homeless Man Charged With Murder For Jackson Heights Stabbing

JACKSON HEIGHTS, QUEENS - A homeless man was charged with murder for a fatal stabbing in Jackson Heights last September, the Queens District Attorney announced Monday.

John Daves, 33, was charged with second-degree murder and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon for the stabbing of a Long Island man in September 2018. If convicted, he could serve 25 years to life in prison.

On Sept. 27, 2018, the defendant and the victim, 25-year-old Miguel Angel Becerra-Perez, were waiting for their orders at a food truck at 80th Street and Roosevelt Ave. in Jackson Heights. At around 9:30 p.m., the indictment says, they began arguing. Video surveillance appears to show the defendant chasing the victim down the street, then stabbing him with a knife from the food cart.

"The defendant grabbed the knife from the food cart and literally chased down the victim and allegedly stabbed him to death," Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said in a statement. "This was a senseless act of violence and the defendant now faces a very long term of incarceration.”

Daves is scheduled to return to court on May 21, 2019.