5 from Queens indicted for Brooklyn laundromat owner’s murder

April 3, 2024 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor

The laundromat is located on Clarendon Road between Schenectady Avenue and East 48th Street in East Flatbush.
Photo via Google Street View

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District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced the indictment of five Queens residents on Tuesday for the murder and robbery of an East Flatbush laundromat owner, captured on surveillance video.

The individuals, identified as Ronnie Butler, 46; Luis Mercado, 48; Zecharyah Slay, 16; Shaleek Riddick, 19; and Diante Stinson, 20, are charged with murder, conspiracy, robbery, weapon possession, and endangering the welfare of a child.

The victim, Money Perkins, 37, was ambushed inside his laundromat, Money P. Clean, and fatally shot by four assailants on Dec. 1, 2023.

According to DA Gonzalez, the assassination was orchestrated by Perkins’ cousin, Butler, due to a long-standing dispute. Butler recruited Mercado, who involved his teenage stepson and two friends in the plot, offering them money for their participation. The attackers, armed with handguns, struck Perkins 13 times, with at least three assailants opening fire.

Money Perkins’ execution-style slaying was caught on surveillance footage.<br>Photo courtesy of the NYPD — Money Perkins’ execution-style slaying was caught on surveillance footage.
Photo courtesy of the NYPD

“This was a shocking execution of a local businessman, friend, brother and beloved father, which is all the more tragic as it was allegedly planned by his own cousin,” DA Gonzalez said. “A thorough investigation by the NYPD and my office unraveled the conspiracy and solved this horrific crime. We will now seek to hold all the defendants accountable.”

The investigation, which included digital communications and video evidence, led to the unraveling of the conspiracy. Perkins had opened his laundromat in 2022, and tensions with Butler had escalated since then. Following the crime, a stolen gold chain, valued at over $30,000, was allegedly sold by Mercado.

The case is prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Matthew Perry, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Leila Rosini, Homicide Bureau Chief. The defendants have been arraigned, with no bail set, and are scheduled for further court appearances in May 2024.

Perkins leaves behind three children: a 2-year-old toddler, an 8-year-old daughter, and a 17-year-old son.