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Teens Who Killed Sleeping Man Sentenced To 20, 22 Years
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 3, 2011
Modified Mar 3, 2011
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By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 3, 2011
Modified Mar 3, 2011
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Two teens who killed a Chinese newspaper executive who was sleeping in his car in 2009 were sentenced to 20 and 22 years in prison. Corey Azor, who was 16 at the time of the killing, and Chris Levy, who was 17 at the time, admitted they went into the car, put David Kao into a chokehold, and then dragged the 49-year-old into the backseat where they strangled him. They pleaded guilty for manslaughter and robbery; Azor got 20 years, while Levy got 22 years.
The pair, who had initially been charged with murder, said it was a botched carjacking and that Kao, who was marketing executive for The World Journal, a Chinese newspaper, was never meant to be killed. But that was little comfort to Kao's relatives, including his niece who said he raised her after her father died. Christine Chu, 29, said in a Queens courtroom, "The thought of writing this impact statement made me sick to my stomach, because how can you describe the impact of losing my uncle?... [He] was always just a phone call away when I needed him."
According to the NY Times, "When offered a chance to speak after Ms. Chu’s statement, Mr. Levy turned and, appearing to smirk, briefly faced the Kao family. 'I apologize to the family,' he said. 'Thanks to my family for standing by my side.'" Azor said, "After hearing the speech, there is nothing I can say to take up for the loss or take away the pain of the family."
Before the sentencing, Levy's lawyer Robert Weinstein criticized his client's proposed sentence, and started to tell the court, "He didn't intentionally kill Mr. Kao, no weapons were involved. Kao was severely intoxicated...," prompting Justice Gregory Lasak to ask, "Before you go any further, do you want to go to trial?... He faces 50 years. Do you want to go to trial?" Weinstein stopped. Lasak later told Azor and Levy, "There is no winners here in this courtroom, only losers. You two will probably lose the best years of your lives in prison."
Tagged
carjacking
Chris Levy
Corey Azor
David Kao
queens
robbery
sentencing
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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