A 17-year-old teen has been indicted on gang assault charges in the fatal stabbing of 14-year-old Julian Corniell at a McDonald's in Sunnyside, Queens, as announced by the district attorney. The indictment includes charges of gang assault in the first degree, among others, for the incident that occurred on Valentine's Day, claiming the life of the young victim in what prosecutors describe as a brutal daytime attack involving at least two adolescents.
The indictment, as detailed on the Queens District Attorney's website, states that the 17-year-old, hailing from the Bronx, was arraigned on Tuesday, with Justice Karen Gopee ordering the defendant remanded and to return to court on Monday, March 31, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz in a press release emphasized the gravity of the situation, noting that “Julian Corniell, who was just 14, was brutally assaulted in broad daylight by at least two attackers who are teens themselves. Tragically, he died from his injuries shortly afterward at a local hospital. This 17-year-old defendant is now facing indictment charges of gang assault while another is facing murder charges. Both remain in custody as we seek justice in this case.”
A surveillance video of the February 14 incident showed a violent confrontation between two groups of teens from different high schools erupting inside the restaurant at approximately 3:25 p.m. During the fray, the 17-year-old is accused of joining others in assaulting Corniell, at one point using a cane to hit the victim; Corniell was subsequently stabbed in the torso allegedly by a 16-year-old co-defendant, then fleeing the McDonald's and collapsing on Queens Boulevard, it was there emergency services found him and he was transported to a hospital where he died due to his injuries, as detailed by the Queens DA's office.
The 16-year-old co-defendant, previously arraigned on indictment charges including murder is also being held in custody overall, the case is led by Senior Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Brewer of the District Attorney's Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau; the bureau chiefs and executive assistant district attorneys for Investigations and Major Crimes, Jonathan Sennett, Barry Frankenstein, Gerard Brave, and Shawn Clark, respectively, are supervising the prosecution efforts.
