Mark Albano, 34, has been indicted by a grand jury and arraigned in Queens Supreme Court on charges of murder, attempted murder and other crimes for four separate stabbing attacks. The defendant allegedly stabbed a man to death in the Grand Avenue-Newton subway station on April 23, 2021. He is also accused of assaulting three other men between May 3rd and May 8th.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said, “This defendant must answer for allegedly perpetrating a spree of violent knife attacks in our borough. There is no excuse for the mayhem and grief these incidents unleashed.”
Albano, of 82nd Street in Elmhurst, Queens, was arraigned yesterday before Queens Supreme Court Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant on a 14-count indictment. The defendant is charged with murder in the second degree, assault in the first and second degree, attempted murder in the second degree, attempted assault in the first degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree and tampering with physical evidence. Justice Pandit-Durant remanded the defendant and set his return date for July 26, 2021. Albano faces up to 25 years-to-life in prison if convicted in the murder case. The defendant also faces between 15 years and up to 25 years in prison on the other three cases.
According to the charges, at approximately 3:30 a.m. on April 23, 2021, the defendant approached Leroy Williams on the platform of the Grand Avenue-Newton subway station. Albano allegedly stabbed the victim once in the chest and then fled the station. The 57-year-old victim was taken to a nearby hospital where he died as a result of the injury.
Continuing, the DA said, on May 3, 2021, around 6:45 a.m., a 33-year-old man walked out of the Steinway Street subway station on his way to work. The defendant began to follow the man and after a couple of blocks, Albano approached the victim and allegedly stabbed him once in the back of the neck. The victim was taken to an area hospital and needed stitches to close the wound.
As outlined in the charges, on May 7th, around 8 p.m. at 51st Avenue near 90th Street, the defendant approached a man exiting a grocery store and followed him several blocks. Without provocation, Albano closed the distance between himself and the victim and allegedly stabbed the 31-year-old man once in the back of his neck. The victim fell to the ground in pain but did see Albano running away from him carrying a bag.
The victim in this case was rushed to an area hospital. He sustained spinal cord damage and paralysis as a result of the attack.
On May 8, 2021, at approximately 5:15 a.m., the DA continued, the defendant was inside a reputed gambling den in the basement of a building on Van Loon Street in Elmhurst, Queens. Albano confronted a 40-year-old man there and allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed him in his arm and armpit. Responding police found the victim lying in a pool of blood at the scene. He was rushed to a hospital, where he needed both stitches and staples to close the stab wounds.
The defendant fled the scene, but police apprehended him a few blocks away. Albano was allegedly carrying a bag that contained a knife inside.
There remains no known motive for the attacks.
The investigation was conducted by Detectives Ronald Nalbach and Thompson Wen of the New York City Police Department’s 110th Precinct Detective Squad and Officer Chris Laqua of NYPD 110th Precinct.
Assistant District Attorney Courtney Finnerty, of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, is prosecuting the cases under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Peter J. McCormack III, Senior Deputy Bureau Chief, John Kosinski and Karen Ross, Deputy Bureau Chiefs and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Daniel A. Saunders.
