Brooklyn Man Strangled Ex-Girlfriend After Release From Rikers: Queens DA

QUEENS, NY — A Brooklyn man was charged with murder on Sunday for allegedly strangling his ex-girlfriend to death a day after his release from Rikers Island on domestic violence charges, Queens prosecutors said Monday. Jerome Rivers of Brownsville, 52, faces up to 25 years to life in prison in the Sept. 29 slaying at the woman's Ozone Park house, prosecutors said.

When Rivers was on his way to her house, the woman, 49, whom Rivers was forbidden from contacting under an order of protection, told a neighbor to give her wallet and other personal items to her mother "if anything happens to me," according to a criminal complaint in the case. She was pronounced dead the next morning, prosecutors said.

Rivers called 9-1-1 early that morning to report the woman's death, telling cops he woke to find her unconscious after hearing a thump, according to the criminal complaint. But an autopsy revealed that she had been strangled to death, and her death was ruled a homicide on Saturday, the complaint says.

"This was a senseless killing," Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement. "Despite the defendant having an order of protection barring him from communicating with the victim, the man allegedly called her numerous times from jail and then asked to stay with her upon his release."

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Rivers was in Rikers Island after his July arrest on sexual abuse and other domestic violence charges filed in Brooklyn criminal court, according to online court records. He called the woman several times over his two-month stay despite the court order, prosecutors said.

Rivers was arraigned Sunday on the murder charges and two separate charges of criminal contempt of court, according to online records. His court-appointed defense attorney, David Bart, declined to comment.

Rivers asked the woman if he could stay with her on the night of Sept. 28 because he couldn't get the keys to his apartment after his release from jail that day, the criminal complaint says. She agreed, but gave her credit cards, wallet and other identification to her neighbor, saying, "Jerome is coming over. If anything happens, give this to my mother."

Rivers told cops that they reconciled that night and that he "didn't have reason to kill her," but blamed her for the domestic violence case against him and said that "God had stricken her dead," the criminal complaint says.

"She would be scared because she placed me in prison for false allegations," Rivers told cops in a videotaped interview, according to the criminal complaint.

Rivers is next due in court on Oct. 30.

(Lead image by Renee Schiavone via Shutterstock)