Jennira Roundtree, 43![\"Jennira](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/DRKQCIXI6RH4PBRQ725UV2RIZE.jpeg\")
Jennira Roundtree, 43, a mother and grandmother from West Brighton was fatally stabbed on Jan. 7, 2025.(Facebook)<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Jan. 7, 43-year-old Jennira Roundtree was fatally stabbed<\/a> in the courtyard of the West Brighton Houses, where she lived. She was attempting to rescue her daughter from a violent confrontation, a law enforcement source said at the time. A mother of four and grandmother of one, Roundtree was described by friends and neighbors as fiercely protective.<\/p>\n In the days after the slaying, family, friends and neighbors shared messages of condolence online. \u201cI was just talking to my cousin last week,\u201d one mourner wrote. \u201cI\u2019m so heartbroken right now.\u201d Another added, \u201cWow, my heart just stopped! Love you, sis. I\u2019m truly speechless right now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe only wanted to protect her baby,\u201d Roundtree\u2019s cousin, Nina Diggs, told the Daily News. \u201cShe went outside to get her child inside. When she got there, her daughter was surrounded by more than a dozen girls. She tried to pull her child away, and they all jumped her.\u201d<\/p>\n Jasmin Thompson, 25, of Richmond Terrace in New Brighton, turned herself in to police days later. She was charged with second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, first-degree assault, and criminal possession of a weapon. <\/p>\n Thompson was arraigned and remanded without bail. She is currently considering a deal with prosecutors<\/a> that would see her serve just over a decade in prison. <\/p>\n Jesse Pimental, 25 On Friday, March 28, 25-year-old Jesse Pimental was shot and killed<\/a> in broad daylight at Bay Street and Victory Boulevard in Tompkinsville. He was struck in the torso and died shortly after arriving at a local hospital.<\/p>\n The shooting occurred shortly after Pimental had visited his parole officer to complete paperwork ending his parole. \u201cAt 2:00, he was released and told, \u2018You\u2019re free to go,\u2019 and at 2:30, his freedom was taken away,\u201d said Elizabeth Rokicki, who helped raise Pimental with her sister, Carol.<\/p>\n A sports enthusiast, Pimental was known as the fastest runner among neighborhood children. He played baseball for South Shore Little League and excelled in football, winning a championship in the Staten Island Boys Football League.<\/p>\n Pimental attended Tottenville High School and later South Richmond High School in Pleasant Plains. In 2022, he was convicted on a weapons possession charge and sentenced to two years in prison. Upon his release, exactly one year before his death, he returned home with hopes for a better future.<\/p>\n \u201cMy life from here on out is going to be epic,\u201d he told Rokicki. He was working toward obtaining his GED and planning to attend vocational school, with aspirations of a career in mechanics, plumbing, or elevator repair.<\/p>\n \u201cHe just wanted to be a different person, to be better for himself,\u201d Rokicki said. \u201cHe talked about having kids, finding the right person, and settling down. Now, his life is cut short at 25 years old.\u201d<\/p>\n Two suspects, Lydell Felton, 27, of Yonkers, and Elysha Pratts, 26, of South Avenue in Mariners Harbor, were arrested in connection with the homicide<\/a>. Felton faces charges that include second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter, while Pratts was charged with hindering prosecution. They are scheduled to return to court next year.<\/p>\n \u201cJesse does not deserve to be a statistic. He should not be a statistic. And I don\u2019t wish this pain on anyone else\u2019s family,\u201d Rokicki said. \u201cMaybe if we can grow up and put the guns down and live a peaceful life, I guarantee this world would be a better place and you wouldn\u2019t have so much heartache and heartbreak and so much hurt in this world.\u201d<\/p>\n Anthony Casalaspro, 45 On Monday, Oct. 6, the body of 45-year-old Anthony Casalaspro<\/a>, a retired Department of Sanitation mechanic, was discovered decapitated in the bathtub of his West Brighton home.<\/p>\n Casalaspro had been in a long-term relationship with Alicia Zayas and lived with her and her two children at his Cary Avenue residence. Zayas is the mother of 19-year-old Damien Hurstel, who is accused of killing Casalaspro.<\/p>\n \u201cAnthony was helping me raise my kids. He was a great man,\u201d Zayas told the New York Post<\/a> days after his death. \u201cHe loved my kids; he loved Damien.\u201d<\/p>\n Neighbors recalled seeing Casalaspro on the block. \u201cWe see him every now and then sitting on his balcony in a chair,\u201d one said. \u201cHe kept mostly to himself.\u201d<\/p>\n Island residents were shocked by the exceptionally violent nature of Casalaspro\u2019s death, as a leaked photo of the crime scene was shared online and over text messages. Authorities allege Hurstel used multiple weapons and tools in the commission of the murder.<\/p>\n![\"Jennira](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/P6QVJGASGZFSTD2OMMAHMBLPCM.jpg\")
A candlelight vigil was held to celebrate the life of Jennira Roundtree in West Brighton Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025.(Advance\/SILive.com)<\/p>\n![\"\u2018He](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/XCTLBE4YONEHXEJGPIYE2OWHAA.JPG\")
Jesse Pimental, 25, was working on getting his GED and planning to go to vocational school when he was shot and killed on March 28, 2025.(Courtesy of Elizabeth Rokicki)<\/p>\n![\"Jesse](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/OS662FLGUVF4BJR2YIQNSWXNIY.jpeg\")
Friends of Jesse Pimental gather in Bloomingdale park on Saturday, March 29, 2025.(Courtesy of Elizabeth Rokicki)<\/p>\n![\"Anthony](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IKPIC6F2WNCMPDD54JBJ3KF4OA.jpeg\")
Anthony Casalaspro, 45, a retired Department of Sanitation mechanic was found deceased in his West Brighton home on Oct. 6, 2025.(Facebook)<\/p>\n![\"Cary](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/VRD2Y76ND5CBLA7BJXIZ7O6BHQ.jpeg\")
Police sirens illuminate the home at 380 Cary Ave. after Anthony Casalaspro was found dead in the bathtub on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025.(Advance\/SILive.com | Scott Axelrod)<\/p>\n