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Suspect In Fatal Sidewalk Punch Says On Facebook: 'I'd Do It Again'
By
Emma Whitford
Published Nov 4, 2016
Modified Nov 4, 2016
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By
Emma Whitford
Published Nov 4, 2016
Modified Nov 4, 2016
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A man suspected of fatally punched a 64-year-old man on a Queens sidewalk over the summer posted the next day about having to "put my hands on somebody last night" and "smack'em to sleep," according to his Facebook page. The suspect, who an NYPD spokesperson confirmed to be 42-year-old Matthew Smith, revealed in a string of Facebook comments that while "I kinda feel bad," he'd do the same thing over again to defend his wife.
Police say that the victim, identified as one Robert Gorman, had bumped into Smith's wife, 39-year-old Elena Makarova, on a city bus just before the assault. Makarova then allegedly told Smith that Gorman had disrespected her.
"Nah I don't feel bad for protecting mine at all, I'd do it again," Smith wrote. "I feel bad for how he got folded up. Hahaha it was ugly lol."
Gorman was found on the corner of Queens Boulevard and Main Street around midnight on June 26th, by police officers responding to a 911 call. He was later pronounced dead with head trauma at Jamaica Hospital, and a subsequent investigation turned up video of a man punching Gorman in the head. The video, released earlier this week, also shows Gorman falling to the ground, and struggling to get up.
Cops identified Smith and Makarova through a tip from a parent at their child's elementary school, who recognized the duo from the surveillance footage, according to DNAInfo. No arrests have been made as of Friday.
Smith appears to be a published poet, according to a Facebook page.
Here's Smith's account of the punch incident in full.
The Daily News reports that Gorman was living alone at the time of his death, a few blocks from where the assault took place. Family told the tabloid that he traveled around the country to spectate pro sports. The day of his death, he was returning from an Orioles-Tampa Bay Rays game in Baltimore.
The Medical Examiner reportedly ruled Gorman's death a homicide—the combined result of the punch, stroke complications, and a heart condition.
People have been posting headlines about the incident on Smith's Facebook page in recent days. On Halloween night Smith posted, "I'm so glad there's so many people with my name on this shit. Do not look for me at all. Lol."
The male suspect, apparently Smith, was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, black shorts and sneakers and holding a black bag. His female companion, apparently Makarova, is described as having short hair and glasses. She was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans and sandals.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
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Emma Whitford
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