Manhattan District Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. today announced the indictment of KIMOND CYRUS, 39, for the murder of 67-year-old Sueng Chul Choi, an Upper East Side deli clerk. CYRUS is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with one count of Murder in the First Degree, one count of Murder in the Second Degree and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree.[1]
“Kimond Cyrus allegedly murdered Sueng Chul Choi in a brutal, chilling act of violence,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Bodegas are essential threads woven throughout our Manhattan communities. We mourn the tragic loss of Mr. Choi and will continue to use every tool at our disposal to keep our hardworking bodega and deli workers safe.”
According to court documents and statements made on the record, CYRUS committed four gunpoint robberies across three boroughs in one week. In each of his robberies, he displayed a firearm and wore white Tyvek hazmat suits, a facemask and gloves.
A few hours before the murder on March 3, 2023, CYRUS entered a building in the Bronx where he changed into a hazmat suit and then rode into Manhattan on a moped.
At approximately 11:20 p.m., CYRUS entered Daona Deli on East 81st Street. He approached a customer, displayed a firearm and demanded money. The customer pulled money out of his pocket and placed it on the floor. CYRUS pushed him to the floor and turned his attention to Mr. Choi who was behind the cashier counter. When Mr. Choi refused to hand over money, CYRUS pistol-whipped him and put his gun to the customer’s head to force Mr. Choi to comply. CYRUS then demanded that Mr. Choi go to the rear of the store and followed him.
When they left, the customer ran outside the deli and moments later heard a gunshot from inside. A separate eyewitness observed CYRUS walk out the deli and to his moped. That witness entered the store and found Mr. Choi lying on the floor, unconscious and bleeding from his head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
CYRUS rode to the Bronx where he committed another gunpoint robbery at another deli. He was arrested a few days later in the Bronx.
Pursuant to a court-authorized search warrant executed on CYRUS’s apartment, officers recovered a loaded firearm with bullets matching the one recovered from the Manhattan robbery, and property stolen from the Bronx deli.
Assistant D.A.s Gregory SanGermano and Kaleigh Shea (Trial Bureau 40) are handling the prosecution of this case, under the supervision of Robert Ferrari (Bureau Chief of Trial Bureau 40) and Lisa DelPizzo (Chief of the Trial Division) with the assistance of Trial Preparation Assistants Sarah Rogers and Dale Nelson, and Digital Evidence Analyst Mollie Somers.
D.A. Bragg thanked Detectives Daniel Faughan and John Christmann of the 19th Precinct Detective Squad, Detective Randy Rose of the Manhattan North Homicide Squad, Detective Giselle Batista of the Bronx Robbery Squad, the Homicide and Shooting Enhancement Team, the entire Manhattan North Homicide Squad, 19th Precinct Detective Squad and the 19th Precinct.
Defendant Information:
KIMOND CYRUS
Bronx, New York
Charged:
- Murder in the First Degree, a class A-I felony, one count
- Murder in the Second Degree, a class A-I felony, one count
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, two counts
[1] The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court.
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