"According to the charges and investigation, on the morning of Friday, Oct. 20, at around 3:30 a.m., Ortega was driving a BMW sedan and stopped his car in front of 40-06 Astoria Blvd. near Williams and two other men. Williams approached the BMW and engaged Ortega in a conversation. Ortega got out of his BMW and continued speaking with Williams and his co-defendant, with whom the victim had a brief verbal dispute before Ortega drove away."
"At approximately 3:55 a.m., Ortega returned to the area and stopped at a red light at the intersection of Steinway Street and Astoria Boulevard. Williams and his co-defendant approached the driver's side of the car. Ortega pulled the vehicle over, exited, and stood next to his car with the door ajar, and spoke with Williams. As the two men were speaking, another individual approached Ortega from behind and punched him in the back of the head."
Zahir Williams, 26, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 24 years in prison for the October 2023 killing of 50-year-old Francisco Ortega. Ortega, a Williamsburg resident, stopped his BMW twice in Astoria the morning of Oct. 20 after an initial verbal dispute. During the later stop at Steinway Street and Astoria Boulevard, Ortega was struck from behind, fell and hit his head, and was repeatedly kicked and punched. Williams entered Ortega’s BMW, slammed the door against the unconscious victim, drove the car around the block, and then deliberately ran over Ortega, causing his death. Williams resides on Beck Street in the Bronx.
Read at QNS
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