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Homeless man charged in brutal beating death, robbery at bus stop – Metro US

Homeless man charged in brutal beating death, robbery at bus stop

Homeless man charged in brutal beating death, robbery at bus stop
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A homeless man is facing life behind bars after he allegedlybeat a 57-year-old bus rider in Far Rockaway Thursday morning before robbing him and leaving him to die, prosecutors said.

Danthony A. Horton, 34, is currently awaiting arraignment on charges of second-degree murder and first-degree robbery. If convicted, Horton faces up to 25 years to life in prison.

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“This is a truly troubling case. The defendant is accused of punching the victim once in the face and knocking him to the ground, rendering him unconscious, Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said. “When the victim regained consciousness, the defendant allegedly returned to the scene and continued his assault on the victim before robbing him and leaving him to die.”

According to the criminal charges, the incident happened just before 4:30 a.m. on May 26 at a bus stop on Mott Avenue near Beach Channel Drive. After he was punched, the victim, Ricardo Cruz, in the face, he fell to the ground.

Horton then returned after Cruz regained consciousness and began to move. He started kicking him five times in the face before removing Cruz’s sneakers and throwing one of them at his head, according to the district attorney. Horton finally went through Cruz’s front pants pockets before “flipping him over, dropping him on his face” and removing items from his back pockets.

Cruz was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.