NEW YORK — A Brooklyn man was sentenced to decades behind bars for attacking a 61-year-old woman with a rock while she was sweeping a sidewalk in Queens the day following Thanksgiving 2021, an assault that claimed her life. three months following the violent attack.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Wednesday that Elisaul Perez was sentenced to 20 years in prison and five years post-release for attacking GuiYing Ma.
Perez, 33, pleaded guilty last month to first-degree manslaughter.
According to the charges, at around 8 a.m. on November 26, 2021, Ma was sweeping the sidewalk and street in the area of 38th Avenue near 97th Street. That’s when Perez picked up a large rock and hit Ma on her head, and hit her on the head a second time, following she fell to the ground. The grisly attack was captured on security video.
Ma was later taken to a local hospital where she underwent emergency surgery for severe head trauma and brain injuries. However, following a long hospitalization of three months, Ella Ma Ella died from her injuries.
“While today’s sentence cannot make up for the heartbreaking and senseless loss of your loved one, I hope it brings some comfort to Ms. Ma’s family. The long sentence will hold the defendant to account for an unprovoked attack that robbed a community of a beloved member,” Katz said in a statement.
