A life sentence without the possibility of parole was handed down to a Brooklyn man for the calculated murder of three individuals during two separate incidents in East New York. The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office announced the sentencing of Charles Hernandez, 52, highlighting the deliberate nature of the crimes that not only ended lives but also inflicted enduring heartache on the victims' families and their community.
Justice Danny Chun of the Brooklyn Supreme Court delivered the sentence to Hernandez, who was found guilty on May 21, of one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, and various weapon charges. Brooklyn has seen a decline in gun violence, but DA Gonzalez stressed that the severity of these acts stands as a stark reminder of the potential for such violence to ravage the social fabric of neighborhoods.
Hernandez executed his ambush using disguises and high-capacity firearms, targeting his victims due to their connection to an individual with whom he had an ongoing dispute. On June 20, 2020, Hernandez shot Kenneth Singleton, 35, multiple times in the head while the victim was washing his car. A week later, Stephanie Perkins, 39, and Chioke Thompson, 23, were murdered in a similar vein as they sat outside Perkins’ home.
The prosecution successfully argued that Hernandez’s actions were not only heinous but also placed other community members at risk, including a child. Arrested on July 9, 2020, Hernandez’s capture was the result of a collaborative effort between several law enforcement agencies. A co-defendant, Liza Jenkins, 52, was convicted of second-degree hindering prosecution and tampering with physical evidence for her role in assisting Hernandez after the first murder, she will face sentencing on a later date.
The District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, led by Assistant DA Leila Rosini and Senior Assistant DA Matthew Perry, managed the successful prosecution of the cases.
