Quantcast

Kin mourn Flushing youth slain in fight outside theater

By Zach Patberg

His older sister, Donna, told those filling the pews at Blessed Sacrament in Jackson Heights of the time when her brother was preparing for a school play as a first-grader there. She said one line that he practiced with his father and repeated proudly afterwards around the house was “good will toward all and peace to his people on Earth.””These were very exceptional words for a shy young man, and he lived by them,” she said, struggling to hold back tears while many who listened poured out theirs.Years later as he lay dying on the pavement, Adams' last line to his friends who held him was “be strong,” she said. Early on Dec. 24, Adams was stabbed multiple times in the torso after he and some friends were confronted by another group outside the Forest Hills theater, the Queens district attorney said. Adams' friend, Yajdiel Collado, 20, was also stabbed in the arm and back but has since been released from the hospital in stable condition. .It is unclear what the fight was over or which side initiated it. A 15-year-old from Rego Park has since been charged with second-degree and attempted murder. Three others, Daniel Cho, 16, and brothers Peter Gerardi, 19, and Herman Gerardi, 17, all from Forest Hills, were charged with gang assault for allegedly punching and kicking the victims, according to the DA.The four defendants were being held at Rikers Island until a court appearance scheduled for Jan. 7. If convicted, the 15-year-old faces nine years to life in prison. The other three either face up to 15 years or 25 years, if convicted.Callado recovered enough to attend the Dec. 29 funeral of his longtime friend, whom he called his twin, or “a brother from another mother.””We always wanted to travel, grow old and raise families together,” he said after the service, his arm in a sling and his face streaked with tears. Many of the largely Catholic mourners then followed the hearse to St. Michael's Cemetery in East Elmhurst where Adams was buried.Reach reporter Zach Patberg by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 155.