On the morning of September 30, 2018, an employee arriving for work at an Auto Zone on Northern Boulevard in Jackson Heights, Queens, made a grim discovery. In the back of a gray BMW parked in the lot lay the body of 26-year-old Darryl Whitfield. He was found unconscious and unresponsive with a single gunshot wound to his head. Emergency medical services were called to the scene and pronounced him dead.
The investigation into the death of the father of three quickly identified a suspect.
Surveillance footage captured Darryl Whitfield at the Whitestone Lanes bowling alley on the night of September 30, 2018. The video showed him leaving the bowling alley with 35-year-old Charles Williams in a gray BMW around 4 a.m. on October 1st. Detectives were able to track the vehicle's movements from the bowling alley to a gas station and ultimately to the Auto Zone parking lot where Whitfield's body was found. Though Williams initially lied to detectives, claiming he and Whitfield had parted ways after bowling, the video evidence told a different story.
Just two days after the discovery of Whitfield's body, police arrested a second man, 30-year-old Careem Holder. Holder was found in possession of the. 357 Smith & Wesson revolver used in the killing and was also accused of destroying evidence. He was later convicted on charges of criminal possession of a weapon and tampering with physical evidence.
The primary suspect, Charles Williams, had fled to California shortly after the murder. For nearly three years, the case remained a priority for detectives. The NYPD's Fugitive Task Force eventually tracked Williams to Sacramento, California. A warrant for his arrest was issued on March 10, 2021, and he was apprehended in Sacramento on March 26th. Williams was extradited back to Queens in June 2021 to face a four-count indictment charging him with second-degree murder, two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and tampering with physical evidence. He faced up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
