Man Faces Murder Charge Over Ambush Stabbing In Queens Apartment Complex: DA

QUEENS, NY — A man faces a murder charge in Queens after authorities said he killed his neighbor in an ambushed stabbing attack last week.

Dimitrios Manessis, 48, walked into a courtroom last week for arraignment on a slew of charges connected to the death of 75-year-old George Dourdounas, prosecutors said.

Dourdounas, who was Manessis’s neighbor, was ambushed outside his first-floor apartment at around 1:20 p.m. on March 3, prosecutors said.

Manessis had allegedly been standing outside his apartment when Dourdounas entered the building. Manessis then punched Dourdounas, causing the 75-year-old man to fall to the ground, officials said.

While Dourdounas was on the ground, Manessis entered his apartment, grabbed a sharp object, and repeatedly stabbed him, prosecutors said.

Manessis then allegedly returned inside his home covered in blood, investigators added.

A neighbor who entered the building during the violent attack called 911, and responding NYPD officers apprehended Manessis at the scene.

Investigators determined that Manessis had been involved in a dispute with the 75-year-old man before the killing, though details about the argument have not been disclosed.

"This is a senseless act of violence that has rattled the Astoria community," said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz in a statement. "The defendant is accused of stabbing an elderly neighbor to death over a perceived slight. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their own home and in their own neighborhood."

Manessis faces 25 years to life in prison, if convicted.