An Asian woman who was hit in the head with a rock in Queens has died from her injuries three months after being attacked, authorities said Monday.
GuiYing Ma, aged 26, died last Tuesday at Elmhurst Hospital from head injuries suffered during the November 26 attack in North Corona.
Moments prior to the tragic episode, Ma was sweeping the sidewalk in front of his residence, when a man identified as Elisual Pérez, from 28 years old, approached the woman and they had an argument, although it is unknown what caused the dispute, court records indicated.
Perez allegedly hit the back of Ma’s head with a large stone he had picked up from the ground, causing him to lose consciousness, which caused her to have to be transferred to an emergency to be treated for a right skull fracture, facial fractures and internal bleeding in the brain.
The records indicated that in the surveillance video obtained by the police, Perez was shown to hit the woman with the rock, causing her to fall. He is also seen throwing the object at her while she remained on the ground.
“The defendant stated in sum and substance: ‘I hit her on the head with a stone,’” the records indicate as part of the suspect’s confession.
Perez was arrested at the scene and facing assault charges; however, upon Ma’s death, the charges could change, authorities reported.
“We are reviewing the latest developments in this tragedy and will add or update any appropriate charges supported by evidence,” reported the Queens District Attorney’s Office. “Meanwhile, on behalf of the Prosecutor’s Office, we express our condolences to the family.”
Although this incident was initially reported to the New York Police Hate Crimes Task Force, it was not possible to determine whether the assault was a bias crime.
Family members opened a GoFundMe account for their expenses, and have raised $187,520 dollars, according to the web portal.
Before the fatal outcome, Ma’s relatives thought that his health was progressing, his landlord, Yihung Hsieh, told the New York Post.
“We told him to put his hand in the belly and did. We told her to use her right thumb to say ‘ok’, and she did. Before Tuesday, it was all good news,” lamented Hsieh.
With information from the New York Post
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