Queens man sentenced to 18 years to life for murder of driver after crash in Baldwin

MINEOLA, NY – A Queens man was sentenced Monday to 18 years to life in prison for the murder of a driver following a car crash in Baldwin in April 2023. Patrick Destine, 28, was convicted of second-degree murder and other charges for the murder of David McKenzie, 54, following a collision between their vehicles.

Destine pleaded guilty in May to murder, criminal possession of stolen property and driving under the influence of alcohol. Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced the sentencing, saying the suspect’s violent actions had tragic consequences. “Patrick Destine brutally kicked and stamped on David McKenzie’s head following a late-night collision,” Donnelly said. “This alcohol-fueled rampage cost David his life and ultimately sentenced the suspect to a future behind bars.”

The fatal incident occurred on April 15, 2023, around 11 p.m., when Destine’s vehicle collided with McKenzie’s Honda near Shuman Place and Forest Avenue in Baldwin. McKenzie left the scene of the accident, but Destine followed him and attacked him, repeatedly kicking and stomping on his head. McKenzie’s credit card and driver’s license were seized after the assault.

Police arrived to find McKenzie bleeding from the head, and he was pronounced dead shortly after midnight on April 16 at Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital. Destine and a co-suspect, Aisha Pitt, were arrested at the scene. Pitt, 20, of Elmont, was sentenced to six months in prison in August for her role in the crime.

BALTIMORE, MD – Howard County Police have arrested a 17-year-old Ellicott City man in connection with the murder of 26-year-old Kendrick McLellan of Baltimore. McLellan was discovered on October 12, 2024, with multiple gunshot wounds in a vehicle parked at an office building in Columbia. Police believe the shooting happened days earlier, on October 9, at the same location where McLellan’s body was found.

The teenage suspect, who is charged as an adult with first-degree murder, was arrested at Howard High School while in possession of a loaded handgun in his backpack. At the time of his arrest, the suspect was already under the supervision of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services and was wearing an ankle monitor due to a previous incident in another jurisdiction. Authorities are still looking for a second suspect involved in the crime.

This case remains under investigation as police work to identify and arrest the suspect.

STAFFORD, Va. – A 22-year-old Woodbridge man was arrested Monday after a violent burglary at a South Stafford home during which he allegedly used a baseball bat to cause extensive property damage.

Officers with the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a burglary on Morton Road on October 14 at approximately 5:35 p.m. According to authorities, the suspect, identified as Marvin Ssettumba, entered the home with a baseball bat and began vandalizing several buildings. articles.

The suspect was seen leaving the scene in a black Nissan sedan, which was later located by Deputy WA Bolinsky at a Valero gas station on Cambridge Street. Ssettumba was detained by officers and found to have the stolen money from a safe in the home, as well as the baseball bat used in the incident.

The homeowner reports that the suspect, an acquaintance of his, only took cash from the safe. The burglary is believed to be related to a previous theft allegation between the suspect and the victim.

Ssettumba has been charged with burglary with intent to commit an indictable offence, destruction of property and theft. He is being held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail.