FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Brooklyn Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for
Triple Murder in East New York
Defendant Fatally Shot Victims in Two Separate, Execution-Style Attacks
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Brooklyn man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders of three people during two separate East New York shooting incidents in June 2020. The defendant used disguises and high-capacity firearms to ambush and kill his victims in broad daylight.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant’s crimes were ruthless and deliberate, cutting short three lives and leaving their families with grief that will last a lifetime. While gun violence in Brooklyn is at record lows, we cannot lose sight of the devastation caused by horrific acts like these and the lasting impact they have on entire communities. Today’s sentence brings accountability and makes clear that this kind of brutality will never be tolerated in our borough.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Charles Hernandez, 52, of East New York, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He was convicted on May 21, 2025, following a jury trial, of one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and one count of first-degree reckless endangerment.
Additionally, the District Attorney identified a co-defendant as Liza Jenkins, 52, of East New York. On May 22, 2025, following a bench trial, she was convicted of second-degree hindering prosecution and tampering with physical evidence for her role in assisting Hernandez after the first homicide. She will be sentenced at a later date.
The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on June 20, 2020, at approximately 11 a.m., the defendant approached Kenneth Singleton, 35, from behind as Singleton was washing his car outside of his home in the vicinity of Milford Street and Blake Avenue, in East New York. Wearing a disguise, the defendant shot Singleton multiple times in the head at close range and fled the scene.
Furthermore, according to the evidence, a week later, on June 27, 2020, at approximately 12:30 p.m., the defendant approached Stephanie Perkins, 39, and Chioke Thompson, 23, as they sat on the stoop of Perkins’ home on Van Siclen Street, near Belmont Avenue, in East New York. Disguised in a blonde wig and wearing a long coat, the defendant opened fire with a high-capacity rifle, striking both victims multiple times and killing them instantly. The defendant then stepped over their bodies, entered the house and fired additional shots throughout the first floor before fleeing.
Evidence established that each victim was targeted because of their relationship or proximity to a man with whom the defendant had an ongoing dispute. The attacks endangered other people in the vicinity, including a child and other residents inside Perkins’ home.
The defendant was arrested on July 9, 2020, in West Virginia, by the Regional Fugitive Task Force, with assistance from the West Virginia State Police and the Martinsburg Police Department.
The District Attorney thanked Chief Analyst of the Digital Evidence Lab Alexandra Aber, Senior Digital Forensic Analyst Mauricio Suarez-Marquez and Paralegals Jannette Ayala and Amanda Connolly, of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, for their assistance on the case.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Matthew Perry, of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, and Assistant District Attorney Leila Rosini, Chief of the Homicide Bureau.
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