Bed-Stuy man indicted for 2005 murder
Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez (pictured) announced today that a Brooklyn man has been indicted for the 2005 murder of his girlfriend. Eagle file photo by Rob Abruzzese
A Brooklyn judge remanded a Bedford-Stuyvesant man to Rikers Island for the 2005 murder of his 22-year-old girlfriend.
Julius Esquilin was arraigned by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun in a second-degree murder, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child indictment on Tuesday.
Esquilin, 36, is accused of shooting Desiree Cofield in the head during a verbal dispute that began on the ground floor of the Greene Avenue apartment building they lived in, continuing to the top floor of the brownstone.
Prosecutors said a neighbor heard an argument, followed by a gunshot and Cofield’s 3-year-old daughter screaming, “Mommy, Mommy.”
“The victim in this case was a young mother of two little girls who was allegedly taken from them by this defendant,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez in a press release.
A neighbor called 911 after Esquilin allegedly bellowed through the walls, “I know you heard that; call the police.”
Esquilin also called police, prosecutors said.
When police and ambulance arrived, they found Cofield’s body on a couch with a single gunshot wound to the head and Esquilin “acting aggressively,” prosecutors said.
Police recovered a note allegedly written by Esquilin that said, “Even if I am gone, I still love all of my daughters and my big mouth baby mother, Julius.”
The couple, who had a history of domestic violence incidents, shared a child in common.
Yet, Esquilin was not arrested for Cofield’s murder until prosecutors recently conducted a thorough reinvestigation of the case that resulted in enough evidence to file charges, according to a law enforcement source.
The murder weapon was not recovered, prosecutors said.
If convicted, Esquilin faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
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