(IntegrityTimes.com) – In a vicious attack on Sunday April 7 in Queens, New York, 68-year-old grandmother Irene Tahliambouris was shoved down the stairs of the St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church and robbed while she lay on the pavement in pain.
Her 16-year-old attacker, Jayvaun Prince, then used the keys he took off of her to steal her 2006 Nissan Altima which was recovered less than four miles away from where the assault took place. Prince already has a long history of arrests for robbery and possession of stolen goods. He is also being investigated for other crimes including the theft of another woman’s vehicle.
Tahliambouris was at first listed in critical condition and family members said even upon waking she didn’t recognize them. However, by Wednesday after the attack her memory was better and she knew her loved ones, although she still has a fractured skull, a black eye and other bruising. Prince was arrested on Thursday April 11, and is being charged with robbery, assault, grand larceny, and criminal possession of stolen property.
Prince was being held at NYPD’s 107th Precinct stationhouse when he allegedly attempted to kill himself on Friday April 12. He had apparently used his t-shirt to fashion a makeshift noose, but officers intervened, and he was taken to a hospital for treatment. His injuries were found to be not life-threatening. Charges for other crimes he has been involved in are piling up, and there is some speculation that he may be charged as an adult for the attack on Tahliambouris.
Many people have taken to social media to express their outrage over both the violent attack on an elderly woman who was just trying to go to church, as well as the fact that her young assailant was out on the streets committing more crime after arrests in August and September of this year as well as last year in December and February. Tahliambouris’ family has released a statement condemning New York’s criminal justice laws for creating an environment where criminals are emboldened.
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