QUEENS, NY — The suspected ex-boyfriend of a woman has been charged in connection with her murder after he chased her into her apartment and shot her in the back of the head in Queens last September, police announced Thursday.
De’Ovryion Elijha Ray, 23, of South Carolina, is facing murder and criminal possession of a weapon charges. He was extradited back to New York City on Wednesday.
The gunman was initially arrested on Oct. 8 in South Carolina but refused extradition, according to the Queens County District Attorney’s Office.
Officers found 21-year-old Dashanna Donovan unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head inside 26-30 96th St. in East Elmhurst on Sept. 12. The 21-year-old woman was found lying near the door frame of her bathroom.
Surveillance video obtained by police shows Ray chasing Donovan into her building with a gun. Ray fled to South Carolina after the shooting.
“This was a calculated, cold-blooded murder of a young woman who was running for her life when she was gunned down. As alleged, the defendant traveled to New York, killed the victim and fled the state mere hours after the murder in a tragic case of domestic violence. Our thoughts are with the victim’s loved ones as we seek justice,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “My office worked hand in hand with South Carolina officials to ensure that the defendant was extradited to New York to face the indictment charges.”
Ray’s sentencing date has not been disclosed yet.