QUEENS, NY – Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today the arraignment of Jermain Rigueur on charges of attempted murder and assault. Rigueur is accused of a series of stabbings in Springfield Gardens and Jamaica, Queens, attacking four individuals, three within an hour on a recent Wednesday.
Rigueur, a 27-year-old resident of Springfield Gardens, faces a 19-count complaint. Charges include three counts of attempted murder in the second degree, three counts of assault in the first degree, attempted assault in the first degree, eight counts of assault in the second degree, and four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.
Queens Criminal Court Judge Marty Lentz has scheduled Rigueur’s next court appearance for January 31. If convicted, Rigueur could face up to 90 years in prison.
The charges allege that Rigueur initiated these attacks starting early Tuesday morning. Around 12:05 a.m., Rigueur reportedly followed a 34-year-old woman and stabbed her near 158th Street and 134th Avenue, causing internal bleeding. Subsequently, at around 12:13 a.m., he was seen making stabbing motions with a knife at the Gas City Smoke Shop on Guy R. Brewer Boulevard.
The violence continued the next day, with Rigueur allegedly stabbing a 74-year-old man in the back at 7:21 a.m. on 134th Avenue. Minutes later, he attempted to stab a 41-year-old man, inflicting a wound to his lower back. The final assault occurred around 8:00 a.m., where Rigueur engaged in a dispute on an MTA bus, resulting in another stabbing.
Evidence includes video surveillance footage and items recovered during a search warrant execution, including a six-inch Bowie knife and a blood-stained sweatshirt.