🌱 Man Faces Charges For Queens Murder + 4th Of July House Fire

Hi there, Queens. I'm here in your inbox this summer morning to tell you everything you need to know about what's going on in town. Let's do this.

First, today's weather:

Variably cloudy; not as warm. High: 80 Low: 71.

Here are the top three stories in Queens today:

1. A man is facing murder charges after a woman's body was found in a trunk in Queens. On Tuesday, 30-year-old Kareem Flake was extradited to New York and indicted on charges of murder and kidnapping, according to authorities. Flake was accused of killing a 26-year-old mother of two, Destini Smothers, in 2020 and stuffing her body in a trunk in Queens. He now faces up to 25 years-to-life in prison if convicted. (PIX11 New York News)
2. On Monday, a home went up in flames during the 4th of July celebrations. Shariff Khan's house was hit with a powerful firework from a party happening next door outside a bodega, and flames quickly spread to the upstairs of the home. The party took place behind a restaurant on 101st Avenue in the Richmond Hill section of Queens. (24 News Co)
3. Do you recognize these men? Police are looking for suspects who fired shots at an apartment complex in Flushing on Monday morning. Photos have been released of the men who allegedly discharged their firearms in front of an apartment building at 41-17 Haight St. at around 2:55 a.m. According to police, the bullets smashed some windows in the complex, which put the public at risk. (Queens Post)

Today in Queens:

• Live It Up: Get Healthy, Live Well, At Catholic Charities - Far Rockaway Clinic (9:30 AM)
• Compost Beautification Community Volunteer Day, At The Queens Botanical Garden (1:00 PM)
• BONOMO - LIVE, Culture Lab LIC (8:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• The Queens Botanical Garden is hosting a Desert Dish Succulent workshop on Sat, Jul. 16! Choose from a variety of cacti and succulents to create an open-air succulent terrarium in a ceramic container and learn tips for succulent care. All materials provided! (Queens Botanical Garden via Facebook)
• Maggie's Little Theatre will present 'Kiss Me, Kate' in Middle Village on Jul. 9-24. Click here for more info. (Queens, New York via Facebook)
• NYC quietly changed its COVID risk assessment tools as cases rise in the city. The tools no longer show whether cases are on the rise, in decline, or holding stable. (Queens Eagle)

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That's it for today! I'll catch up with you bright and early tomorrow with a new update.

— Miranda Fraraccio

About me: Miranda Fraraccio is a born and raised Rhode Islander, now living in New York. She works as a staff writer for content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and is a graduate of The University of Rhode Island, where she earned a degree in Writing & Rhetoric and Communication Studies. In her free time, you can find her traveling, drinking tea, or photographing her neighborhood as a street photographer.