Man Indicted For Murder In Choking Death Of Woman Near NYC Hotel

NEW YORK CITY — A 33-year-old man has been indicted for choking a woman to death near a Manhattan hotel in October, prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Jaheem Warren is accused of putting Leslie Torres, 23, in a chokehold outside the Hotel Riu Plaza New York on West 46th Street in Times Square on Oct. 29.

Warren was charged with second degree murder, assault and strangulation in November, police said.

“Jaheem Warren allegedly stalked a young woman for 25 minutes on the streets of Manhattan before he brutally attacked her, throwing her onto a pile of garbage bags and suffocating her,” said District Alvin Attorney Bragg. “This alleged conduct is abhorrent. People deserve to be safe when walking through Manhattan, and my Office will ensure accountability for those who commit horrific acts of violence.”

According to prosecutors, Torres left her building on West 45th Street and Warren began following her for 25 minutes as she walked around Midtown. Outside the hotel, Warren grabbed the victim from behind and threw her onto a pile of garbage bags and choked her to death.

Torres was later found by a passerby. The woman was transported to Mount Sinai West where she was found to have no brain activity. After a week on a ventilator in the ICU, she was pronounced dead on November 4.

The NYPD is still determining a motive in this incident. It does not appear Warren and Torres knew each other.