A 20-year-old East New York man will be charged with murder and sex assault in the brutal slaying of Queens jogger Karina Vetrano based on DNA testing and “detailed incriminating statements and admissions” he made to detectives, officials said Sunday.
Chanel Lewis was arrested around 6 p.m. Saturday following a “deep dive” into evidence surrounding the Aug. 2 attack that had gone unsolved for more than six months, NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said.
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Slain jogger fought for her life during gruesome attack 0:0 She fought for her life. The savage assailant who murdered… Lewis was interviewed Thursday evening after he was identified as a potential suspect, and he let cops take a DNA sample, Boyce said.
The Medical Examiner’s Office tied Lewis to DNA recovered from under Vetrano’s fingernails, her back and cell phone and he confessed Saturday to “each step of the assault,” Boyce said.
Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said prosecutors were preparing a criminal complaint against Lewis, who’s likely to be arraigned later Sunday or Monday.
“We’re satisfied that we have a solid case,” Brown said.
Vetrano, 30, never returned home after going for a jog in the Spring Creek park near the Howard Beach home where she lived with her parents.
Her dad, retired FDNY firefighter Phil Vetrano, found her battered body in weeds while searching the park with cops that night.
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