Westchester Insider: Westchester County District Attorney Office: PEEKSKILL MAN INDICTED FOR THE MURDER OF WESTCHESTER SOCIAL WORKER MARIA COTO.

PEEKSKILL MAN INDICTED FOR THE MURDER OF WESTCHESTER SOCIAL WORKER MARIA COTO.

Defendant is charged with repeatedly punching and kicking the victim while she was on a site visit in Peekskill ultimately causing her death.

 

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah announced today that a Peekskill man was indicted for the murder of 56-year-old Maria Coto, a Westchester County Department of Social Services case worker, who was conducting a site visit in Peekskill when she was allegedly attacked.  

 

DA Rocah said: “Maria Coto was performing her job when she became the victim of a ruthless and brutal attack that led to her tragic death. We are committed to securing justice for Ms. Coto.” 

The defendant, Hasseem Jenkins, 31, was arraigned today before New York State Supreme Court Judge Anne E. Minihan in Westchester County Court following an indictment by a Westchester County Grand Jury for two counts of Murder in the Second Degree, two counts of Burglary in the First Degree, Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, and Robbery in the First Degree, all felonies, and Resisting Arrest, a misdemeanor.  

 

The defendant remains remanded to Westchester County Jail. His next court date is Aug. 6. 

 

At approximately 3:08 p.m. on May 14, while the victim was conducting home visits on South Street in Peekskill, it is alleged that the defendant repeatedly punched her in the face, chased her into a neighbor’s apartment and repeatedly kicked her in the head while wearing heavy boots.  

 

The Peekskill Police Department responded to the scene and arrested the defendant, who allegedly resisted. Police also recovered the victim’s cell phone from the defendant’s pocket.  

 

The victim, who sustained severe brain bleed, brain swelling and multiple facial fractures, was treated for her critical injuries at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla. The victim was placed on a ventilator and remained unconscious until she was pronounced dead on June 19.  

 

The case is being prosecuted by Major Case Bureau Chief Nadine Nagler and Assistant District Attorney Kevin Jones, both of the Trials and Investigations Division. 

 

The charges against the defendant are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.