A 59-year-old woman has been charged with murder for her role in the death of a young man in the Bronx who was shot three times in the head — and her husband, who is still on the loose, is the suspected gunman, according to prosecutors.
Denise Aponte’s daughters were in a heated argument with a group of five people outside the Sedgwick Houses, at W. 174th St. and Popham Ave. in Morris Heights, just before 8 p.m. Sunday, and the two groups started shoving each other, according to the complaint released at Aponte’s arraignment at Bronx Criminal Court on Tuesday.
Instead of trying to defuse the situation verbally, Aponte phoned her husband, telling him, “You need to come downstairs. Come down here,” according to the complaint. Fatefully, she also ordered him to “bring that” — referring to the loaded pistol that would become the murder weapon, Assistant District Attorney Jenna Kemmer told the court.
When the husband arrived, Randy Blanche, 24, who prosecutors said was trying to act as peacemaker during the heated dispute, started to back away — but the husband fired at him “numerous times,” striking him in the head, then fled.
Blanche “was not fighting and was actively trying to stop the two groups from fighting,” prosecutors stated.
The whole incident was captured on surveillance video, and there were numerous witnesses and bystanders.
Aponte fled, too, but was arrested by waiting officers when she returned to her apartment — just around the corner from the murder scene — the next morning. She has been charged with murder, manslaughter and gun possession. Her husband, who lives with her, remains at large.
Police said Tuesday that Aponte did not know the victim.
Blanche was rushed by medics to BronxCare Health System, but he could not be saved. He was about a mile and a half from home when he was killed, according to cops.
Aponte was sentenced to seven years in prison for robbery in 1991 but was paroled after serving less than six years, records show.
“The defendant has an extensive criminal history with two prior felonies, two prior misdemeanors, two failures to appear and a probation revocation,” prosecutors noted.
If convicted, Aponte faces 25 years to life in prison.
As she was being taken out of the courtroom on Tuesday after her arraignment, a family member sitting in the audience, sobbed and said, “We love you, Denise. Stay strong.”
As he walked out of court, Jason Gazewood, Aponte’s defense attorney, said dismissively, “It’s all based on a phone call. It doesn’t mean anything,” referring to the call Aponte made to her husband.
When asked about the video footage, Gazewood said, “We’ll see about that.”
As for Aponte’s husband, he said, “We don’t know his whereabouts.”
