By Jeremy Walsh
The man who fled to England following the savage 2001 beating death of a 35−year−old gay Jackson Heights man in 2001 has been sentenced to 22 years to life in prison, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said Friday.
John McGhee, 40, formerly of Jackson Heights, was sentenced by Judge Barry Kron after being convicted last month of second−degree murder.
“Today’s sentencing will hopefully bring some comfort to the relatives and friends of a completely innocent victim who was brutally beaten to death for no apparent reason,” Brown said. “The defendant deserves to be punished for this senseless and sickening crime.”
Charles Abercrombie, McGee’s attorney, said his client maintains his innocence and will appeal the conviction.
The incident happened Aug. 15, 2001, around 4 a.m. The victim, Edgar Garzon, was walking home on 77th Street from Friends Tavern, a gay bar on Roosevelt Avenue, Brown said. McGhee punched Garzon in the head as he walked and then attempted to rob him, the DA said.
The attack fractured Garzon’s skull, Brown said.
Garzon, a Colombian native and naturalized citizen who worked as a theater set designer, lapsed into a coma and died Sept. 4, 2001, at Elmhurst Hospital Center.
McGhee was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in June 2006 after flying in from London, Brown said, noting McGhee was told to leave England for lying on his citizenship application.
Reach reporter Jeremy Walsh by e−mail at jwalsh@timesledger.com or by phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 154.
