A Manhattan resident received a 35-year prison sentence for the stabbing deaths of two men that occurred in December 2021. The sentence was handed down yesterday, detailing the fatal stabbings which took place in Hollis and near Rufus King Park in Queens. Raymond Kenner, the defendant, pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter in the first degree.
According to the Queens District Attorney's Office, "Raymond Kenner stabbed two young men in cold blood and callously left them to die." The victims were identified as Andrew Cunje, 25, and Benjamin Vasquez, 29. Katz expressed hope that the sentencing will bring comfort to the families as they grieve, Kenner's co-defendant, Alexander Stephens, also faced charges and received a seven-year sentence for his involvement in a related robbery.
Kenner's attacks were said to be unprovoked. On December 21, 2021, he followed Cunje from Francis Lewis Boulevard to Carpenter Avenue where the assault occurred, Cunje succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital. A couple of days later, Kenner chased down Vasquez and attacked him with a similar deadly outcome.
The evidence against Kenner was substantial. When apprehended by the police on December 29, 2021, he was wearing clothes matching those seen in video footage on the nights of the murders, and his clothing bore bloodstains. Authorities also found a folding knife in his possession which was linked to the crimes. Stephens, who had pleaded guilty to second-degree robbery, was not implicated in the stabbings but was involved in the theft of Cunje's backpack following the fatal assault.
Assistant District Attorney Kenneth Zawistowski prosecuted the case, with a team that included John Kosinski, Karen Ross, Jonathan Selkowe, and overseen by Shawn Clark, the Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes. Both Kenner and Stephens will be subject to five years of post-release supervision following their respective sentences.
