2 men indicted for beating Bronx fruit stand owner to death with a bat

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Two men have been indicted in the fatal beating of a Bronx street fruit vendor last month, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark announced Friday.

Terrence Downes, 44, of Queens, was indicted on murder and manslaughter and is due back in court on Dec. 23.

Romel Jarrett, 37, of the Bronx, was charged with manslaughter and will be arraigned at a later date.

According to the investigation, on Sept. 12, Downes and Jarrett got into an argument with Leslie Sanchez, 56, the owner of a fruit stand on East Fordham Road in Morris Heights, when he accused them of theft.

The argument moved to the Fordham Road subway station at which point Sanchez walked back up the stairs to the street.

The duo then brandished a baseball bat, approached Sanchez from behind and began beating him. After Sanchez fell to the ground, they hit him in the head seven times, prosecutors said.

Sanchez was transported to St. Barnabas Hospital where he died from his injuries on Sept. 14.

"The defendants allegedly beat the victim with a baseball bat after he confronted them for stealing from his fruit stand. The victim was repeatedly clubbed in the head and died two days later. The defendants will be held accountable for this brutality," D.A. Clark said.