QUEENS, New York – Goey Charles, a 33-year-old man from New York, has been sentenced to the maximum penalty of 25 years to life in a state correctional facility for the murder of his pregnant girlfriend, Vanessa Pierre. The sentencing was announced by Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder on Wednesday. Pierre, 29 years old at the time of her death, was strangled to death by Charles three months before she was expected to give birth. After killing her, Charles dumped her body on the side of the highway and fled the scene.
A jury in Queens County found Charles guilty of second-degree murder for the cold-blooded killing of Pierre, who was carrying his child. The conviction was primarily based on surveillance footage showing Charles dragging Pierre’s lifeless body out of her car and leaving it on the side of the road. The video also captured Charles driving the car registered under Pierre’s name before the murder took place.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz expressed satisfaction with the maximum sentence, noting that it was appropriate given the brutality of the crime and Charles’ callous disregard for Pierre’s life. While the sentencing does not bring Vanessa back, Katz stated that it achieves justice in her memory.
The chilling surveillance footage showed Charles parking the car on the side of the road in the early hours of the morning. He then moved towards the backseat where Pierre was sitting, and at around 4:36 a.m., he dragged her lifeless body out of the car and left her on the sidewalk. Pierre’s body was discovered by an MTA bus driver a few hours later, along with a pair of sweatpants wrapped around her neck.
The subsequent autopsy confirmed that Pierre’s cause of death was asphyxia due to compression of the neck, ruling it a homicide. Additionally, DNA testing proved that Charles was the father of Pierre’s unborn child.
Before her tragic death, Pierre worked as a nurse practitioner. In the wake of her passing, her family established a GoFundMe page to raise funds on behalf of her family.
This case serves as a harrowing reminder of the violence faced by pregnant women and highlights the need for justice in cases of domestic violence. The maximum sentence handed down to Charles reflects the severity of his crimes and aims to offer some solace to the grieving family of Vanessa Pierre.