A Sunset Park man faces 25 years to life in prison for allegedly gunning down a man who was sleeping in his 51st Street home earlier this year, according to District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
The 41-year-old defendant was arraigned Aug. 2 on charges including second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Vincent Del Giudice, who ordered the suspect held without bail, Gonzalez said.
The defendant entered the Sunset Park home of 46-year-old Da Li — located between Seventh and Eighth Avenue — on June 26 and shot the sleeping man twice in the head, according to the DA.
Investigators obtained surveillance footage that shows both Li and the defendant exiting a car and entering the 51st Street home together at around 8:16 a.m. that day. The defendant leaves shortly after, only to return at around 12:45 p.m., donning a surgical mask as he re-enters the home, before leaving yet again moments later, according to prosecutors.
Cleaning staff discovered Li’s body two days later, Gonzalez said.
“This defendant allegedly planned his attack and callously executed the victim as he was asleep in his bed,” Gonzalez said. “We intend to prosecute this case vigorously to hold the defendant fully accountable for taking a life.”
A search of the defendant’s car found a Taurus nine-millimeter semi-automatic pistol with a loaded magazine in a black plastic bag, matching two nine-millimeter shell casings found in Li’s home, according to the DA.
Police arrested the defendant on July 3 as he was attempting to board a California-bound flight out of John F. Kennedy Airport, according to authorities.
He is due back in court on Oct. 4, according to prosecutors.
