Staten Island Man With History of Hate Indicted For Firefighter’s Murder
A Staten Island man pleaded not guilty on Tues., Dec. 18 for brutally cracking the skull of an off-duty firefighter and causing his “almost instant death” during a road rage incident.
If convicted, Joseph Desmond, who has been charged with murder, faces up to 25 years to life in prison in the death of 33-year-old Faizal Coto on Dec. 9 around 4:40 a.m. on the Belt Parkway.
Desmond, 29 of Staten Island, used an unknown blunt object to strike the left side of Coto’s head violently, causing his temple to fracture, after getting into a fender-bender with the firefighter, said Assistant District Attorney Andres Palacio in Brooklyn Supreme Court.
“There is no place on the streets of Brooklyn for such mindless violence. We will now seek to get justice for the victim and his heartbroken loved ones,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.