March 11, 2023
NEW YORK CITY—The man who donned a HAZMAT suit and robbed multiple convenience stores pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder on Friday as new details emerge of the botched robbery.
Kimond Cyrus, 39, entered a not guilty plea in Manhattan Criminal Court after prosecutors detailed how he allegedly held a gun to a customer’s head before fatally shooting 67-year-old Sueng Choi at Daona Gourmet Deli on East 81st Street and Third Avenue on March 3.
Prosecutors say Cyrus pulled a shopper up from the floor and demanded cash from a clerk (Choi). The customer was able to break free and run off. The unnamed customer said he heard a gunshot as he ran from the store.
According to Assistant District Attorney Gregory SanGerman, Cyrus pistol-whipped Choi with a gun when it went off, killing him. The 39-year-old African-American male suspect is also wanted for three other armed robberies at New York City delis and bodegas over a 10-day period.
Choi’s landlord, who only provided his surname Baek to the New York Post, said Choi was divorced from a Chicago woman, his daughter recently passed away and suffered from a string of hardships.
“His daughter died last year of a heart attack,” Baek explained. “His life is unhappy.”
Neighbors and friends who knew Choi said he was a hardworking Korean immigrant from Queens and kept his head down.
Cyrus was remanded without bail.
Feature Screenshot via ABC7NY & New York Police Department