Second Suspect Charged in Mount Kisco Homicide
A second suspect has been charged with first-degree manslaughter in the beating death of a homeless man in Mount Kisco,
Milton Ventura, 35, of Mount Kisco was taken into custody by county police detectives and formally charged Tuesday night and arraigned at Mount Kisco Justice Court.
Ventura’s arrest came about 24 hours after police apprehended 34-year-old Freddy Coronado-Mendez, 34, also of Mount Kisco, in Harrison, N.J. They are accused of killing Jose Sanchez, 53, following an altercation in a wooded area off Lieto Drive on Saturday. Sanchez’ body was discovered the following day by a relative who alerted police.
An autopsy conducted by the Westchester Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Sanchez died of injuries caused by blunt force trauma. Sanchez, a native of Honduras, worked as a landscaper and had no permanent address.
Department of Public Safety Commissioner George Longworth said that detectives from the county police General Investigations Unit had quickly learned that Coronado-Mendez was involved in Sanchez’s death and had left the area by train. Detectives tracked him to Harrison, N.J., and took him into custody there. It is believed he was attempting to arrange to leave this region of the country.
Coronado-Mendez, who had an extensive arrest record including arrests on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and burglary, is awaiting extradition back to New York. He had twice been deported.
Detectives also determined that others were likely present when the altercation occurred. Ventura was taken into custody in Mount Kisco based on information developed during the ongoing investigation.
“The Westchester County police are grateful for the excellent cooperation we have received from the community during this investigation,” Longworth said.
Longworth urged anyone who has information to call the county police tip line at 800-898-TIPS. All calls are confidential. The county police also accept tips electronically at tips@wccops.com.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
