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Bronx woman, 59, charged with fatally shooting 24-year-old man near her building
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Nov 25, 2025
Modified Nov 25, 2025
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Brittany Kriegstein / Gothamist
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Nov 25, 2025
Modified Nov 25, 2025
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A Bronx woman is facing murder and other charges in the fatal shooting of a 24-year-old man outside an apartment building in the borough Sunday night, police said.
NYPD officers arrested 59-year-old Denise Aponte on Monday morning, charging her with murder, manslaughter and criminal weapons possession in connection with the killing of Randy Blanche in Morris Heights. First responders found Blanche on the sidewalk at 160 West 174th St. with multiple gunshot wounds to his head around 8 p.m. Sunday. He was later pronounced dead at BronxCare Hospital.
Police said they are looking into whether Aponte and Blanche knew each other. She lives in a building on Popham Avenue across the street from the crime scene, while Blanche lived more than a mile away in Tremont, according to the NYPD.
Residents and staff of the building adjacent to the crime scene said they were surprised by the violence, which police said stemmed from an argument.
“I’ve been here two years, I've never even heard a gunshot. So this is new to me,” said superintendent Christina Mark.
A criminal complaint filed Tuesday, however, says Aponte did not pull the trigger and someone else, who has not yet been arrested, fired the fatal shots.
Aponte’s arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court was pending early Tuesday, and information for her lawyer was not immediately available. No one was home at her apartment when reporters knocked on the door.
The complaint describes Aponte as present during the shooting and in possession of a firearm, but says another individual was the one who opened fire.
Blanche’s mother briefly spoke to Gothamist by phone but would not go into detail about why her son was at the location where he was shot.
“Right now I’m lost for words,” Shonta Johnson said. “She took him from me.”
Blanche is at least the fourth person to die from gun violence in the 46th Precinct this year, which includes Morris Heights, Fordham, University Heights and Mount Hope, according to Gothamist’s tracking of NYPD reports. Police data shows shootings in the precinct have decreased considerably, with 21 through mid-November compared to 47 in the same period last year.
This story has been updated to reflect details from the criminal complaint.
For more information about gun violence in New York City, check out Gothamist’s map of shooting incidents over the last five years.
Tagged
bronx
morris heights
new york city
public safety
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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